Hogwarts Shuffle!
by GinnyMyLove
Summary: Two mysterious doors have been opened, gateways to the realms of the Gods and the Devils. The Princesses of each show up at Hogwarts pledging to marry Harry Potter. Harem: Crossover with the anime Shuffle!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, plot and interactions are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Authors Note: Reminder, Ginny in this story (and I think future stories) is played by Karen Gillan (Amy Pond from Dr Who)**

**Hogwarts Shuffle! Chapter One**

**08/26/1996**

Harry had spent every day so far that summer stealing newspapers and trying to listen to the telly without the Dursley's noticing. Always looking for news about the return of Voldemort and never hearing anything interesting. It was too painful to think about what had happened at the end of the school year, Sirius was just missing, he refused to believe the closest thing he had to loving family was gone. Maybe it wasn't "healthy" as Hermione tried to tell him in the ONE letter she'd sent him; maybe it was just a coping mechanism, maybe he was delusional, but he wasn't getting much mental help from anyone so he did what he could.

Not that they noticed him, he'd figured out pretty quickly that the less they saw of him, the better. He'd had one near miss of accidental magic early on when Vernon had threatened him. His eyes had apparently been glowing with power but nothing actually happened externally. It had been enough to quell them into submission and he'd taken the chance to tell them he would be happy to stay out of their lives if they'd stay out of his. So far things had worked smashingly, as far as being ignored was better than verbal abuse and physical labor.

"Coping Mechanism" was just one of the new words and phrases he'd picked up this summer. He'd spent a fair amount of time at the Library every Wednesday when he knew Mundungus was taking his detox nap under the living room window. The Knight Bus was a surprisingly handy thing if you were a stranded underage wizard and could either hold your lunch or didn't have anything in your stomach to hold. Luckily Harry had been able to sneak to Diagon by removing his glasses and pulling one of Dudley's ball caps down over his scar. Wizards were surprisingly dense when you stopped to analyze them at all. So with a trip to Diagon he'd been able to withdraw some money and get more than table scraps to eat that summer. Despite his imprisonment and imposed isolation he'd had one of the best summers he could remember. At least when he wasn't thinking about his missing godfather or his basically absent friends.

It was one such Wednesday, returning from the Library with a "borrowed" psychology book and a stash of sweets, that he overheard something which definitely fit in the "interesting" category.

* * *

_**In our top story this afternoon we bring you footage of what have been  
titled "The Gates" in the Japanese countryside. For those who haven't  
been made aware; "The Gates" purportedly link to the world of the Gods  
and the world of the Devils respectively. These ruins were discovered  
only months ago and the doors opened only a week ago admitting strange  
looking humanoid figures from both worlds. They claimed to be the King  
of the Gods and the King of the Devils.**_

* * *

Harry stood transfixed as they showed footage of the pulsating blue doors and the large muscular man purported to be the King of Gods and the thinner but handsome figure who claimed to be King of the Devils. They both had strange ears and seemed to have an Aura around them, one of light and one of darkness.

"Just what we needed in this world eh pet? More freaks!" Vernon was overheard stating loudly. "Obviously it's some kind of hoax, I can't believe these so-called News people are taking this seriously. Gods and Devils, honestly..."

Harry really didn't know what to think but events on the other side of the planet really weren't the type of news he was interested in.

_It would serve Vernon right to have them truly be God and the Devil, I'm sure both would like a word with him._ Harry thought to himself. Having seen enough for the moment he took his sweets and his study material up to the room the Dursleys grudgingly let him use during his summer stays. When he got to his room he was only mildly surprised to find Errol, the Weasley family owl, passed out on top of Hedwig's Cage with the snowy Owl seemingly eyeballing the geriatric bird with contempt. On the desk, which was not really a desk so much as a card table missing one leg and help up by several unread Choose-Your-Own-Adventure novels Dudley had acquired over the years, there lay a letter addressed to him in now familiar handwriting. While Hermione and Ron had let him know in the single letter they had sent that they were under orders from Dumbledore not to communicate with him about what was going on with the Order of the Phoenix; Ginny had, it seemed, decided as long as she didn't write anything about the Order she could still talk to him, which considering his best friend was supposed to be the brightest witch Hogwarts had seen since Rowena..or possibly Lily..that was saying something.

Harry picked up the letter and moved to the lumpy shape some would refer to as a bed where he tried to get comfortable. He smiled to himself, _How many times have I told myself most witches and wizards just aren't __that smart? I wonder if it's catching with her staying with the Order this summer instead of getting a good dose of Muggle Common Sense this year? _ he thought wryly to himself.

He opened the letter and began reading, he and Ginny had been keeping a conversation going for several weeks now. At first he'd been afraid of the fan girl he knew she kept just beneath the surface, but gradually he'd come to know the real Ginny who was actually quite fun and she had come out of her shell a bit, leaving the stuttering shy girl with her elbow in the butter dish in the past. He didn't precisely have feelings for her, but their communications had become a bit teasing and flirty lately.

* * *

**Dear Harry,****  
********  
**So mum has us cleaning AGAIN, honestly I think the dust bunnies are**  
****breeding alongside the other dark creatures in this place. It's not like****  
****there would be any news to tell you about the Adults even if I wanted****  
****to, they keep us busy morning and night beating curtains and sorting****  
****through dingy old books and things trying to make some sort of headway.****  
****I swear the dank and dirt are alive, it's like we clean a room and the****  
****next day you can actually see where the gross has grown back, like a****  
****mold but made of Darkness.**

**In any case I hope you are having fun, I'm glad you took my advice to****  
** sneak **out to the library. It sounds like you've at least been entertained ****  
**this summer. **You'll have to teach me that eye trick to use on the twins ****  
**if you ever figure out **how to duplicate it. Come to think of it, do you think ****  
**its anything like that **sparkle in the Headmaster'seyes?**

**Mum has been going spare trying to figure out where Errol has been lately,****  
** **luckily he reliably collapses in the back garden every time he returns so I ****  
**can **grab your letters before she can find them. I'd use Pigwidgeon but we ****  
**both **know Hedwig might go round the twist and eat him just to make him ****  
**stay still. **As for your question before, no I am not writing any other boys ****  
**no matter what **you might have heard from my brother. I've decided to ****  
**dedicate myself to my **studies this year for OWLs anyway, unless a certain ****  
**one decided to make a move **I don't know that I could ever say no to him.**

**STOP GRINNING, I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT YOU YOU BIG HEADED GIT.  
**

**So now that is out of the way, what's new on your end? Any news on you** **know-who?****  
**Sad to say you might hear something before we ever would **isn't it?****  
**  
**Yours,** **  
****  
****Gin (and if you ever call me that where someone can hear you you'll  
get a bat bogey where the sun can't see)**

* * *

He had started addressing her letters as Gin about a week and a half ago and she'd let him have it in the first response, by the third time she'd given in and told him he was the only one besides her older brother Bill who was allowed to call her that without consequences. She'd tried calling him Har and Ree by neither stuck as they were admittedly not nearly as good as nicknames as Gin was. Ginny's letters had definitely helped him stay sane, and he admitted he was growing to like the friendly flirty banter. That still didn't mean he was anywhere close to fancying her, well maybe...

_Self Delusion?_ Harry asked himself jokingly, he analyzed his thoughts and shrugged it off. He might be deluding himself a bit but he thought he was getting a hold of his emotions pretty well and from what he could tell it was just friendship with a bit of flirty fun thrown in. The last thing he wanted anyone to be able to say was that he was deluded, not after the way the press had treated him. Harry laid down the letter and pulled out his study material and his notebook, after stumbling upon his conclusion that people in general but especially magical people were stupid, he began looking up psychology texts for background on why some people think and act the way they do. He liked to play amateur shrink, figuring out why other people were crazy was helping to keep him from going crazy as much the letters from Gin.

For instance, he'd all but planned the Headmasters death in the first days of solitude before the first letter from Ginny arrived. Since her suggestion he get out of the house and "read a book or something" to keep from going stir crazy he'd psychoanalyzed many of the people in his life and made peace with them instead pieces of them.

* * *

_Dumbledore: Possibly suffering from Dimensia or Alzheimer's *mental_  
_note to see if the latter CAN affect wizards*, the man was somewhat_  
_ancient already when Tom Riddle had attended Hogwarts, by the time Harry_  
_had come along the man was at least a few hoots short of an Owlery._  
_From a certain point of view (mental nod to Sir Alec Guinness)_  
_Dumbledore really was only looking out the Greater Good, however from_  
_Harry's (the victims) point of view he was a manipulative bastard who_  
_wasn't even good at whatever game he was playing. Harry no longer hated_  
_the man, that was an admittedly short circumstance in any case, but_  
_something had to be done about someone with such apparent mental_  
_degradation holding two or three prominent and influential positions._

_Snape: While it is really easy to hate the man, piecing together the_  
_little he knew already Snape had never once tried to inflict physical_  
_harm, he did not appear in that graveyard, in fact he had actually saved_  
_Harry's life on at least one occasion, possibly more, which might...possibly... _  
_grudgingly even lead to some sort of Life Debt if those actually had any power _  
_other than moral duty. He was, grudgingly, a genius with potions as, he just _  
_had zero ability to impart that knowledge to his students. His appointment to _  
_Potions Master at Hogwarts has much more to do with his position as a spy than _  
_teaching ability. You would think that the ability to teach would be part of _  
_any Mastery certification, but that assumes that Snape holds any real world _  
_title other than the one bestowed by his position at the school. All in all he's _  
_a greasy, nasty awful person; especially to me, but to be fair, according to _  
_Remus, and the pensieve, the Marauders were bullies at least when it came to him. How will I feel _  
_about Draco's children?_

_Draco: Honestly he's full of himself, he is trying so hard to be his father but _  
_at least Lucius has that aristocratic suave thing going for him. Even while being _  
_attacked by a house elf or at the Department of Mysteries he was a respectable _  
_villain. Draco on the other hand is every bad cliche about Slytherin rolled into _  
_one and he seems to revel in it. He has obvious daddy issues and only makes them _  
_worse by trying to prove himself in all the wrong ways. Draco is to be pitied more _  
_than despised, I can actually see what the Headmaster sees in him as much as I hate _  
_to give the old man credit._

_Tom Riddle aka Voldemort: Taking the evil parts of everything I know about him and _  
_setting them off to the side, and only going by what I've seen of him in the Diary _  
_and the odd recounting of his time at Hogwarts I've heard. He was quite the gifted _  
_student and the ultimate Slytherin. Cunning and attracted to Power. Something must _  
_have happened in his childhood to drive him to Evil...perhaps Dumbledore fiddled _  
_with him the way he has fiddled with my life? How would I be now if I'd gone to _  
_Slytherin instead of Gryffindor? I have every reason to hate Muggles thanks to my _  
_so-called family; maybe Tom had a crappy childhood and he's taking it out on everyone? _  
_He isn't even be a Pureblood, imagine what a Halfblood or Muggleborn would go _  
_through in Slytherin. That would explain the way he tortures his followers, it _  
_really isn't all that different from the way he treats Muggles. Bottom line is like _  
_Draco, Tom obviously has issues and is to be pitied, not feared...though he is to be _  
_feared as well if for no other reason than he is obviously insane._

* * *

He laid the notebook on the desk beside the letter from Ginny and laid back on his bed. He'd begun taking a few minutes each day to sort his thoughts and emotions out and analyze them, once he'd identified that Riddle and he might share a lot of similarities it had scared him into making certain he didn't end up crazy and evil despite the Headmasters best intentions.

He cleared his mind and began breathing deeply, on a whim he'd picked up a book on meditation techniques during an earlier trip to the library. He borrowed the books but didn't have a library card, luckily security was pretty lax at the place and he figured as long as returned what he took it wasn't much different than doing it the right way. But getting a card would require filling out paperwork and something told him he didn't want to be in any system that might give away his whereabouts. As he sorted through his thoughts and tried to get to that calm centered place he'd found before where his mind was completely blank, he reflected that he might have picked up a few IQ points along the way. Hermione would be so proud to hear that he'd been studying, though she might not like his choice in literature.

An hour later he awoke from the blank mind space he'd fallen into when the alarm went off on his watch telling him it was dinner time. Part of his unspoken deal with the Dursleys was that he would still do a few chores to earn his keep but he made sure that at least this one meal he prepared included a portion for him to take back up to his room.

So stowing the library material, notebook and letter from Gin under the mattress with the rest of his stash he made his way downstairs to the kitchen. As he went down the stairs an odd thought went through his head to analyze himself in the same way he'd done his enemies list but he shrugged that off. He was perfectly happy for the moment suppressing and telling himself he was fine. He could deal with day to day situations rationally but the deeper issues weren't doing him any harm right where they were. Deep and away where he didn't have to think about them.

_Okay so maybe I am in denial, but I have acknowledged it and I'm moving on, *mental note to put that on my to do list, eventually, maybe if Voldemort doesn't try to kill me this year._

_**Authors Note: For this story...and I think any future stories, Karen Gillan is who I'm picturing for Ginny. Nothing against Bonnie but she never lived up to the Ginny in my head. The actress name is best known as Amy Pond from Dr Who.**  
_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, plot and interactions are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**A/N: Reminder, Ginny is being played by Karen Gillan (its worth an image search)**

**Hogwarts Shuffle! Chapter Two**

**08/27 - Tuesday**

Due to his uneasy truce with the Dursleys Harry enjoyed not only a fairer amount of freedom than he was used to but also his summer in general. It was a bit of a shock to realize it was nearly September and he hadn't heard a single word about being whisked away to Grimmauld Place or the Burrow even from Gin. He supposed it was possible she didn't mention it so she wouldn't get his hopes up, but he also knew Dumbledore liked him right where he was. He was relatively (pun intended) safe right where he was with his mothers only blood relative. That Dumbledore didn't know he was out on parole from Durzkaban Prison was probably why he hadn't heard anything about leaving it.

In any event, that morning he had made certain his school supplies, such as they were, were neatly packed in his trunk and ready to go at a moments notice. He was on the Knight Bus now headed for Diagon Alley in order to update his wardrobe for the coming school year. School clothes didn't buy themselves after all and he needed his books and such as well. What exactly was the Headmaster thinking leaving it this late? In the past Mrs. Weasley had done his shopping when required but was he simply to assume that would be the case this year?

No he decided to get his own things, and if the Weasley matriarch decided to do his shopping as well then he would pay the family back. He certainly had enough money to provide for himself, he did not need to take away from the already strained budget his on and off foster family employed.

_Come to think of it, where did they come up with the additional funds for supplies purchased for him?_

An odd creeping thought made its way slowly through his brain that someone other than himself might have access to his vault. Someone who liked to stick his long-bearded wrinkled fingers into other peoples business. Before he could get too angry at this realization he closed his eyes and began his breathing exercises.

_Dumbledore has access to my vault...Why?_

Another deep breath

_It is a Trust Vault and part of it pays my Hogwarts Education, in trust to whom? Likely to Hogwarts itself, the Headmaster specifically though? I'd think the Board of Trustees might be a more likely candidate but knowing Dumbledore he keeps a key for "things like this"._

So a check with the Goblins is in order to see who has a key or otherwise has access, as much as I trust the Weasleys and as little reason as I have to trust Dumbledore at times, I can't jump to conclusions.

He opened his eyes and sighed, being rational was annoying sometimes but it kept him from acting like a spoiled child. He got enough of that from the Prophet and Snape that he didn't need to reinforce the image. So he would just have to check with Gringotts when he drew some money for his shopping. While he was at it this might be a good time to see about getting some Muggle money in any case. He really didn't enjoy wearing Dudley's old things but knew that wearing robes or school uniform's around the house would definitely violate the unspoken treaty between himself and his hosts.

**!BANG!** The bus slowed and stopped in front of the Leaky Cauldron and Harry got up out of his seat, pulling the ball cap down lower as he headed for the door.

Stan Shunpike was grinning as always as he passed on his way out, Harry wasn't sure if his disguise fooled the man, he definitely made a scene every time they saw each other.

"Alright there Neville?" He asked.

"Yep, just heading into Diagon for my school supplies." Harry replied with a half-disguised voice.

Stan winked, "You have a good day then Mr. Longbottom sir, and please remember the Knight Bus is available at all hours for the stranded Witch or Wizard, just hold out your wand."

Harry thanked him as he exited the bus and watched it disappear with another loud noise. He turned and made his way quickly through the tavern with only a wink and a nod from Tom, and into the Alley proper. The place was packed to the gills with last minute shoppers bustling back and forth getting needed supplies for their offspring, he saw faces he recognized along with many tiny faces that might be first years. Harry wondered off hand whether he had ever been that tiny, faced Fluffy and Quirrelmort when he was that small, and had to attempt breathing exercises without closing his eyes to keep from cursing at the Headmaster again.

He made his way to the bank and waited his turn at the Teller as usual, however unlike normal when he presented his key he raised his ball cap and asked to see someone about that status of his account.

"One moment sir, someone will be along to fetch you when your account supervisor is ready to see you. If you would like a private waiting room..."

"No thank you, I'll be on the bench like any other normal customer. Thank you."

He made his way to the benches along the back wall and sat down. He had tried on his first few visits to remember the names of the Goblins who assisted him, Long Knife, Pitfall, Squeeze Marrow. However when he received suspicious looks rather than astonishment that he bothered to remember their names he gave up. Goblins were odd creatures.

Soon a familiar Goblin appeared but Harry didn't even bother greeting him, simply standing up when the creature said, "This way please." He followed him through a set of double doors and down a hallway to a...cubicle?

"Ah Mister Potter, how may I help you today?" No introduction, no name tags, all business. Harry decided it would be better not to ask about the cubicle when he had expected some opulent office setting.

"Um, yes. I had a few questions about my account."

"Would that be the Trust or the Potter Family Vault?" The goblin asked curtly, not even making eye contact as he continued to peruse a ledger.

Harry knew he had a family vault in addition to his trust vault but also knew it was likely useless to ask about it until he was of age. "Trust Vault." The goblin nodded without looking up, when Harry didn't speak again for several moments one eye looked up disdainfully at him. "Right then, uh, I was wondering how the whole thing worked, who has access to my vault besides me?"

The goblin sat down the ledger he had been going over and pulled a drawer open, pulling out a book he began flipping pages. "The vault in question is set up to handle educational and other small recreational expenses. The amount of 500 Galleons per month is automatically transferred to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry under control of the Board of Trustees. The remainder is available to you at no more than 200 Galleons per month, the remainder to be returned to the family vault on your 17 th birthday. Albus Dumbledore has submitted additional request for withdrawal of funds in reimbursement of monies spent for educational supplies, all the receipts appear to be in order, would you like a copy?" The goblin said all of this in a very bored, very dry voice and as now looking at him as though he were wasting time, which from the banks perspective perhaps he was.

"Uh, no, so...then nobody but me has access to my funds?"

"As I said, the board of trustees receives your tuition on a monthly basis. Other than that we allow reimbursement with proper paperwork to those acting in a guardian status. I see nothing here out of the ordinary."

Harry really didn't want to ask another question as he could swear those eyes were looking hungrily at him now but he needed just a bit more clarification. "But Mrs Weasley has bought my school things before..."

"I do not know who did the purchasing, only that it appears Albus Dumbledore must have either paid directly or reimbursed the person of which you are speaking, and then submitted the proper requests for his own reimbursement from your funds. I assure you Mister Potter the bank is not in the habit of allowing fraud to take place. You wouldn't be suggesting the bank is in error would you?" The last was said with more than a bit of challenge, and Harry thought he saw a hand movement before a pair of armed guards showed up behind him.

He gulped, "No of course not!" His voice might have cracked on the last word, "I do not want any trouble with the bank, I was just unaware of the details..."

The guards seemed to relax a bit and the account manager smiled, that didn't help Harry's nerves much, "Very well sir, was there anything else?"

"Actually..I was wondering if I might get a few quid to shop in Muggle London? Do you do that?"

The goblin very nearly rolled his eyes as he reached into a drawer behind him and pulled two stacks of pound notes out of it, setting it on the desk in front of Harry, "There is about 500 pounds sterling there, I shall make sure it is subtracted from your funds."

"Oh, um, thank you!" Harry said standing up and gathering the cash to himself.

"Think nothing of it, I'd have given it to you out of my own funds if it would get you out of my office." The goblin said while making a motion to the guards who began to "lead" him out.

"_You mean cubicle?" _Harry wanted to ask but thought the joke would be lost on the well armed escort.

He allowed them to escort him back to the lobby before remembering he needed at least two or three Galleons to spend in the Diagon as well as the Muggle notes for later. So he queued up once more and pulled twenty from his account before heading back out. He stopped first in Madam Malkin's knowing that even if he had to wait in line for his turn, that it was best to get well fitting robes and uniform items first in order for them to be ready before his return to the Muggle streets of London. Next he went and gathered his stack of prepackaged books for 6 th year students along with the courses he was taking outside of standard curriculum. While in the bookstore he decided to look around for anything resembling Psychology and was not surprised to find nothing on the subject. What he did find were two tombs on "Mind Healing" and one on Legilimency which looked like total bunk but he purchased anyway hoping it would at least give him a grounding in the subject. He saw another on Occlumency but his head ached at the mere thought of it, he closed his eyes and did breathing exercises until the memories were back where they belonged and the pain subsided.

He also picked up an assortment of Auror Prep manuals on spells and tactics on his way back to the counter. After standing in line he paid for his merchandise and allowed it to be shrunk to pocketable sizes before heading back out of the shop. His first inclination was to go to Fortescues for an ice cream but he was deftly yanked into an alley, his mouth covered and his wand arm secured against the wall. He felt awful having let someone get the jump on him, until he realized who it was that had snatched him off the street. Most wizards were idiots, but a few were geniuses and this one was the closest thing he had ever seen to a Mad Scientist. It was okay to have one of the twins get the drop on him.

"Mmf mph oo, mph mmf mm mff?" Harry asked through the hand over his mouth.

Fred...or George..he really hadn't quite figured out the knack for telling them apart yet, was looking back out into the alley and turned back to him at the sound. "No I won't remove my hand, you might make a sound and that would bad for both of us mate."

Harry rolled his eyes, "Mmf foo mm uff mm mff zzz?"

Again Gred shook his head, "No I won't just take your word for it that you'll stay quiet. You don't understand. Mum is out there!"

"Mm, wll ggr mf." Harry said slumping against the wall peacefully.

Once Forge realized he had Harry's attention he gently removed his hands. "Bugger the both of us if she see's you. Great to see you by the way!" The redhead hissed and hugged Harry. "You know we've seen you walking the alley once a week and you never stop in to the store! It's enough to hurt a blokes feelings."

"Don't give me the puppy dog eyes Gred, if you've seen me then you know I was disguised, Wizards may be dense, present company included of course.."

"Of course."

"They may be dense, but seeing me with a Weasley might be enough to tip off anyone so I avoided the store. Sorry."

"Well just now mum has left the store so we can head inside for cover, its around the corner across from the bank in case you missed it."

"How on earth could anyone miss it?" Harry asked quizzically.

They made their way stealthily along the back alley's and watched as Molly emerged from the front door with Forge ushering her along. Once the coast was clear Gred and Harry dashed inside and into a corner near a line of joke beauty products.

"Well that was too close for comfort, you really ought to be more careful Harrikins." Gred said with a smile.

"But since you're here why don't you let us show you around mate? This is all partly yours in case you've forgotten."

"Yeah, what kind of investor doesn't even stop in to see the merchandise?"

"The silent kind?" Harry asked, "The unwilling kind?"

Forge slapped him on the back, "Well you seemed perfectly willing to part with that Triwizard Tournament money, the least we could do was make sure you got a good return on investment."

Gred spoke up next, "Of course your investment is our investment so we are a bit biased toward the good returns. Business has been booming but you know what would be grand?"

"Harry Potter making an appearance at the store!" They announced together loud enough for half the store to hear and turn towards them.

"Guys I'm supposed to be incognito!" Harry said with wide eyes. "You know this!"

"Of course we do, but consider this payback for not so much as a how-do-you-do in the last six weeks of visits. Besides school starts this weekend, what are they gonna do to you? Send you home?"

"Pack you off to..that place...where they are all staying right now?" Forge struggled a bit with mentioning Grimmauld Place but Harry caught his drift. Finally he relented, after all it wasn't like there was much they could do to him at this point. Dung should be the one to get in trouble for sleeping on his watch.

"Fine." Was all he said.

They paraded him to the back of the store and promptly stood him on the counter top, he quickly removed the hat and put his glasses back on to be recognizable, running his hand through his hair like he'd seen his father do in Snapes pensieve which in turn, quickly turned his hat hair into the standard unruly mop of Potter hair.

"Ladies and gentleman can I have your attention please!" Gred sang out.

"Do you wake up each morning and to your despair, you find that your love simply is not there?" Forge continued.

"Well I'm here to tell you with the greatest of ease.."

"You can have your desire straight back in your bed, with bit of this stuff that's yours to be had."

Thankfully the singing stopped and was replaced with a bunch of fast talk about products, as the products were announced they were handed up to Harry who either displayed them or demonstrated them. It began with the WonderWitch beauty products but thankfully moved on to vanishing hats, canary creams and other assorted wheezes. Harry was actually having quite a good time towards the middle of the show, he had just eaten a Tarantallegra Truffle when a voice shouted out turning the entire crowd around and leaving Harry dancing for no audience.

"Harry James Potter!" Molly Weasley called out in her best imitation of a Howler, "What on Earth do you think you are doing?"

Thankfully the sweet wore off and Harry was able to hop down from the counter, he knew he was busted, with only a bit of thought he knew what her argument was going to be. Fred and George began to run interference but of course Molly was going to have none of it.

"Now mum, Harry was just stopping by to do a bit of showcasing.."

"Checking out his investment that is, trying to drum up a bit of business you see.."

"That is to say he was.."

"Silence the both of you!" She railed at her sons, "I was speaking to Harry, now Harry dear, please do explain just why you are dancing and carrying on in the middle of Diagon Alley when I know for a fact you were supposed to be waiting to be picked up from your relatives house? Also do fill in the part about investments?"

Harry was caught, and matters had been made worse by the exposure of his involvement in the Twins business. He closed his eyes for what seemed to him to be several seconds but was only slightly longer than a blink, and turned large eyes on the older woman. "Mrs. Weasley please, don't be angry with Fred and George, in fact they saw me wandering around the Alley and brought me in here to make sure I was safe. I know I shouldn't be here, but you see, the Express leaves for Hogwarts on Sunday and I have not heard a single word from the adults about getting my school shopping done. I was only trying to be responsible."

She seemed taken aback by his argument and you could almost see her deflate as her caring side took over from her raging side. "That may be Harry, but you didn't explain your investment?" She eyed her boys menacingly.

"Oh that," Harry said sounding glum, "Well you see Mrs. Weasley, after I won the tournament in fourth year...well...after watching...Cedric...in the graveyard.." he allowed a bit of emotion which he didn't exactly have to fake, to cloud his voice and as the memory swam to mind he felt himself catch a breath to keep from sobbing,

"Well I couldn't stand to keep that money...you have to understand, I have plenty in my Trust Vault and I'm sure there is more in my family Vault...and it seemed like blood money...so I asked the Twins to put it to good use. With You-Know-Who back (he intentionally left out the name) I thought that laughter would be in short supply...Fred and George wouldn't just take my money though, they made sure I got it back and then some. Best investment I've made...so please, punish me but don't take it out on them."

She completely deflated between his logic and his emotions and pulled him into a hug. "Now Harry dear I understand. But I was here to do your shopping today and we are going to collect you from your relatives tomorrow. You really should have waited for word from the Headmaster, or at least taken your guard with you when you left the house."

Fat chance that most of his guards would let him leave, he could get as far as the park or the grocery store but then they would quickly turn him around and shoo him back to his house. But Harry didn't bring that up, "Of course you are right ma'am, I was just not thinking I suppose. I'm sorry."

The apology was perfectly timed to invalidate the rest of her argument, "Alright dear, I expect you to head straight back home the way you got here else I'll have to notify the Headmaster. I'll have a word with Mundungus myself, teach him a thing or two about standing a proper watch."

Harry nodded, "But Mrs. Weasley, my shopping is done except for my clothes from Madam Malkin's..."

"Oh you hurry along home dear, I will pick them up for you and have them for you tomorrow."

Harry nodded, "Would it be alright if I said goodbye to the twins first? I promise to be more discreet." he put the hat back on and removed his glasses, "See I hoped nobody would recognize me in this outfit, but Fred spotted me from a mile away. It was a good thing he was there to help me out wasn't it?"

Molly nodded, "Actually that is quite a good disguise, even I wouldn't have recognized you. Such good boys I have, so thoughtful and responsible!" She pulled the twins into a hug and the boys looked over her shoulder at Harry with wide eyes.

"Of course mum.."

"Anything for Harry."

Molly smiled then turned to leave, "I expect you to say your goodbyes and beat feet back home, understood?"

Harry crossed his finger over his heart and grinned at her, she smiled back and left the shop. Harry was then immediately confronted by two too tall redheads. "Teach us master!"

"That was so elegantly done.."

"So well played.."

"Nobody but Bill has ever been able to diffuse mum like that!"

"We're not worthy!" The two of them finished together.

Harry grinned at the praise, nice to know his bit of logical thought had worked the way he hoped, at least in this situation. "It was nothing mates, just a bit logic and a touch of emotion, I didn't even have to lie to her, exactly."

"We know.."

"That was the best part!"

"But I suppose you really should be leaving Diagon Alley soon,"

"Or risk being caught by her now that she has seen you in disguise."

Harry agreed and decided to call it a day for Magical London, however instead of the Knight Bus he decided to take Muggle transportation back to Surrey, after all he still needed to shop for clothes...for school of course, and he'd been thinking about his glasses too. He didn't know the last time he had gotten the prescription updated, before Hogwarts at least, so he planned to visit a one-hour vision center he'd caught the ad for on the telly. It was at a mall back in Surrey so he mounted the bus and began the long, slow ride back to his residence. At least he got to leave in somewhere around 24 hours, maybe he'd make the Dursleys a going away dinner. He pulled out his book on mind healing which looked Muggle enough to go without notice and began reading during the trip.

At the mall he discovered a love/hate relationship with clothes shopping. He didn't have much of a clue what was in fashion and no idea what his sizes were as everything he got for school was measured and fit magically by the seamstresses at Madam Malkin's. So he required a good bit of help from the cute girl in the Men's Department of the retail store. He ended up with several new outfits and left Dudley's old things in the bin on his way out wearing new shorts and a striped polo. He appreciated the lessons in flirting almost as much as the new clothes.

His prescription had not changed too terribly much according to the Doctor but Harry noticed the immediate difference during the test. The doctor encouraged him to put in the trial pair of contacts which made Harry gasp. Nothing had ever seemed so crisp as the vista before him, and he was so taken aback by having functional peripheral vision that he was dizzy and had to close his eyes. His brain wasn't used to processing all that information so he stumbled around in his new contacts for the hour and a half it took his new glasses to get done. By that time though he was finally used to his new high definition vision and he asked the receptionist if he could get a matching set of frames with clear lenses in them. After all, everyone knew Harry Potter had glasses, being able to see without them would be a tactical advantage in any fight. He didn't order a box of replacement lenses though as he knew there was no way to get them to Hogwarts. He'd have to ask Hermione about the feasibility of an Imperturbable Charm to keep them from wearing out. At worst he'd have the updated prescription lenses in the other pair of glasses.

He left the shop in wonderment at his new vision, with the non-prescription glasses back on his face for appearances sake, and headed to the end of the strip mall where he'd seen a grocery store. He wanted a steak and potato dinner tonight, and knew Dudley and Vernon would appreciate it as well whether they admitted or not.

Heading back to the meat section he was suddenly transfixed by the sight before him.

A girl shorter than him by several centimeters with long flowing brown hair and matching eyes, was busy trying to decide between a large package of meat and two smaller ones, pork chops by the look of it. She was absolutely stunning, sparkling almost like the light didn't just reflect off her skin, more like she was almost glowing. She had a nice sized chest, not too big or too small for his liking and a thin waist. The last thing he seemed to notice, which was odd because every other patron that passed by seemed to be staring, were her long pointed ears. He tried to recall where he had seen ears like them before and couldn't, but they didn't detract from her beauty at all, instead they seemed to fit perfectly just like every other part of her.

He was jerked from his near drooling catatonic state by her catching his eye and grinning. "Oh thank Father you are here! Can you help me?"

In his dazed state he was surprised that his voice was at all intelligible, "Um, of course...what seems to be the problem?"

"Well this one seems to be cheaper when I calculate per gram, but this one seems to be cheaper as a whole...Dad eats a lot so maybe this one is a better buy...But we can try something like this but the other store sells them cheaper."

Harry knew he was witnessing something rare, a beautiful teenage girl, standing in the store making decisions like a wise housewife, she was obviously intelligent though..perhaps a bit ditzy in a strange sort of balance?

She continued, "Which do you think I should buy Harry?" She said with a huge grin.

"Wh..uh, What?" Harry said while nervously pushing up his unneeded glasses and then running a hand through his hair, the latter action made her giggle for some reason and her grin got even bigger.

"I've narrowed it down to these two but I don't know which to get, there is a big eater in my house so I'm wondering if I should get these two packs or one huge pack. I can't make a decision! So which do you think I should get?"

Harry tried not to stutter as her bright innocent smile compelled him to answer, "Well, if he is anything like my Uncle you should probably get two packs?"

"You think so? I guess you're right, my Dad eats a lot...Alright!" She exclaimed suddenly, "I'm going to get two packs!"

Taking the advice she put the two packs into her basket with a smile, "Thank you! I think I'm going to make the time limit for the bargain sale!"

Harry looked up to see a flashing yellow light, "Oh I didn't realize there was a sale, I was going to get some steaks for my family tonight but if these are on sale I might go with pork."

She smiled brightly again, "Oh there is a sale on beef as well, the Sirloin is 20% off for the next five minutes, you might make it as well if you hurry!" She then seemed to come to a realization, "Oh no! I still have to pick up some spices and salad, I have to hurry or I'll miss the sale...I wish I could stay with you longer..."

"Um..." he replied intelligently, "It's not a big deal..don't worry about me."

She grinned as she dashed off, turning around quickly before disappearing around the corner of the aisle, "Thank you very much, I'll see you again soon Harry!" She winked and then she was gone from sight, her skirt flared at the last moment giving him a mind numbing view of her light baby blue panties.

He shook himself out of his daze and grabbed a couple packs of sirloin, rushing to the counter to make the sale. He might have plenty of money left after his shopping spree but that was no reason to miss a bargain, especially as the girl had been kind enough to tell him about it.

He decided to walk home from the store as it was only three blocks and he could cut through the park on his way. While he hated the games of Harry Hunting that were played here, it was at least one of the few places he could escape from Durzkaban for the first 10 years of his life. The shopping bag and the bag of potatoes were getting heavy but he chalked it up to training, making a mental note that he should try to get physically fit as well as concentrate more on his studies. After all there was a prophecy hanging over his head that he was diligently repressing.

He was actively suppressing the memories of both his cousins gang and the prophecy when he caught the sound of singing coming from the swing set. The music was almost angelic and drew him closer without him realizing.

On the swing was another stunning girl, he couldn't believe his luck seeing two such beauties in a single day, let alone both in Surrey. The girl had a very sleight frame and large breasts, almost too large for her body but yet somehow perfect on her. He was so busy listening to her song and examining her long BLUE hair that he almost didn't notice the ears at first. They were pointed like the girl at the market but even longer. He once again had that sense that he should recognize what the features meant but he was too busy listening to her voice. He took an involuntary step toward her and heard the crack of a breaking twig.

The girl also heard the sound and stopped singing as her eyes met his, "Oh!" She blushed from embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, did I startle you?" he asked politely

"No..." She stared at him but seemed recover from her embarrassment, then her face lit up with a smile that threatened to knock him off his feet. "I was a little surprised but please, I don't mind." Her speaking voice was as beautiful as her singing voice, Harry couldn't help the blush creeping up his neck. Once again he ruffled his hair nervously and heard the tinkling sound of her happy giggle.

"You are a good singer, I've never heard anything so beautiful." he said bashfully.

"That isn't true, there are plenty of people who can sing better than I can. I thought I was alone so I'm a bit embarrassed." Her red eyes looked down at the ground and Harry wanted to cry at the emotion she seemed to be trying to suppress. Before he could speak again, she did,

"I'm sorry but I have to get going," She said as she got up off the swing.

"I'm sorry I interrupted you." Was all he could think to say.

"Don't worry about it, I'm glad we got to talk." She said with a soft smile. "I'm looking forward to seeing you again Harry."

"I'm looking forward to to see you too. I hope I can hear you sing again."

"Sure, if there is another chance." She smiled once more and walked away, she seemed almost bashful and Harry was left wondering what on earth had just happened.

He turned and walked the rest of the way home in a daze, thinking about the two beautiful girls with the odd ears he had met that day. It was while he was making dinner that it occurred to him that he didn't even ask for their names. He began cursing himself mentally before an odd thought sprang forth.

_Wait, how did they know my name?_


	3. Chapter 3

******Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, plot and interactions are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Hogwarts Shuffle! Chapter Three**

**08/28 - Wednesday**

"Harry..." A voice called from the ether. "Harry..." A cute voice, gentle, familiar...but out of place, a hand on his shoulder shaking him gently. "Harry...it's time to wake up."

In the darkness and semi-lucid fog filled brain of the sleeping boy a light appeared, it gradually grew as he gradually opened his eyes. Somewhere in the back of his mind he was amazed that he could see without his glasses until somewhere else in the darkness he remembered getting contacts. He blinked up at the face above him, "Hmwah?"

"Good Morning Harry." A cute girl, flaming red hair and soft but bright brown eyes smiling down at him. Soft pink lips and a smattering of light freckles that had all but disappeared as she got older.

"Gin?" Harry asked sleepily, still squinting. The girl must have taken it to be because he couldn't see well because she handed him his glasses. In reality his eyes were dry from sleeping in contacts and he tried to remember where he put his eye drops. Then he realized something, "Gin...you are in my room."

She grinned at him, "Yup!"

He grinned back and dragged her down onto the mattress with him in one swift move, kissing those pink lips softly as he wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes, beginning to drift off again.

Obviously this was a dream as Ginny didn't even know where in Surrey he lived. Sleep was beginning to close in on him and his new teddy bear when a cough from the doorway alerted him to another presence in the room. His eyes snapped open to find Ginny staring right back at him, eyes wide in shock and fear. It was only then that he realized she was stiff as Hermione had been when she was petrified but shaking slightly. Harry had a very bad feeling.

"Um...Gin?..."

The girl in his arms gulped once but somehow managed to stammer out, "Y-yes Harry?"

"I'm not dreaming am I?"

Her eyes changed slightly from the terrified look they had before and she smiled mischievously, "Why Harry? Have you been dreaming about me?"

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and screamed before pushing himself to the edge of the bed which was unfortunately up against the wall trapping him. Ginny, who was already on edge began screaming the second he did and fell off the edge of the bed onto the floor. Harry then screamed again causing Ginny to continue screaming until Hermione spoke up, "Honestly you two do you want Voldemort to find you by following your voices or something?" You could almost hear the eye roll in her tone.

Her interjection of logic had the intended affect of calming the panic in the room, Ginny got back to her feet and eyed Harry curiously. Harry for his part stayed stuck up against the wall where he knew no further surprises could jump out at him. "Hermione, please explain?"

"I thought it would be obvious but I suppose some of us got up for breakfast," Harry checked his watch and noticed it was almost 11, The Dursleys knew he was leaving today as he had informed them over dinner. It looked like they cleared out of the house in order to avoid interacting with "those people".

Hermione continued after a pause, "We got permission to come get you instead of the usual visit from the Headmaster, he thought this might be more preferable to you considering your last encounter. You didn't actually destroy his office did you?" She asked with an arched eyebrow.

Harry tried not to blush, "Well...destroyed is a very strong word..."

"Harry James Potter!" Ginny and Hermione both exclaimed, Hermione continued however, "You expect to be treated like an adult but have a childish outburst like that, it's no wonder nobody has been allowed to speak to you this summer."

Harry and Ginny shared a look before her eyes narrowed a bit and the mischievous smile returned, "Yes Harry, isn't it just awful that you had nobody to talk to all summer?" She then climbed back onto the bed seductively. "I mean, all alone all summer you must have been going crazy after everything that was dropped on you at the end of the year. Isn't it just awful?"

She scooted across the bed toward a confused Harry who was nodding in response to her words but cringing in response to her actions. "Uh Gin?"

She turned her back to him and scooted back against his chest and sighed, "If I'd known how comfy this was I wouldn't have woken you up. Hermione would have waited for a bit outside I'm sure."

"Gin?" He gulped.

She wiggled back tighter against him, pinning him against the wall. The mattress was lumpy and something was poking her in the back, she unthinkingly reached behind her and grasped it before freezing in place with wide eyes. Harry was frozen stiff as well when Ron finally walked into the room.

"What's the hold up in here? I heard the screaming from downstairs and figured they'd found a funny way to wake...you..." His eyes went to the couple on the bed and his ears almost instantly turned red, "What the bloody hell do you think you are doing with my sister!"

That was enough to unlock Ginny's hand from around its purchase and for her to scramble out of bed, Harry quickly grabbed the blanket and pulled it over his lap before screaming at them. "Would you all get out of here so I can get dressed please!"

Ginny walked up to her brother, "You could do a lot worse than Harry for my first real boyfriend don't you think?" She then turned and blew a kiss at him which had him all kinds of flustered and just made Ron even more angry.

"You rotten sneak! How could you? Without even asking me? She's like a sister to you!"

"You're a real git you know that Ron? Can't you tell she's just messing with both of us?" Harry replied. Ginny took that moment to begin laughing at Ron's face as she exited the room.

Hermione rolled her eyes again but was suppressing a grin aimed out into the hallway at Ginny, she grabbed a still fuming Ron by the ear and dragged him from the room. "We'll wait for you in the living room Harry, get cleaned up and we'll head out."

The door closed behind her and Harry collapsed onto his back, that had to be one of the most nerve wracking moments of his life. Voldemort had nothing on teenage girls and angry older brothers, either that or he was just suppressing the true horror of having the psycho in his head and trying to share his body...

No teenage girls definitely win.

* * *

Harry came downstairs, freshly showered and changed into some of his new clothes, to find his friends in the living room gathered around the telly. Ron and Ginny were completely engrossed which was to be expected, Hermione was also glued to the set which was somewhat unexpected. "What's going on?" Harry asked casually.

"Did you know about this Harry? It sound's like the beginnings of World War Three!" Hermione exclaimed turned towards him. Her jaw dropped momentarily as she caught sight of him in khaki shorts and red polo but she recovered quickly and continued, "Why didn't you tell us about this?"

On the screen were images of violent uprisings around the world interspersed with reports of the Gods and Devils sending emissaries to different countries to open a dialogue about integrating the three worlds. The ticker across the bottom of the screen scrolled stories about rioting in Muslim countries, the Vatican up in arms about the antichrist, Los Angeles and New York holding demonstrations both denouncing the King of Gods as a fraud and some claiming to be newly converted Devil Worshipers. Magic is real? Story at 6.

"I had barely heard anything before yesterday and I ignored it because it wasn't about mysterious clouds shaped like skulls appearing over Muggle neighborhoods after a slaughter. It has actually been entirely too quiet for my liking." Harry replied.

The screen cut to an interview with the self proclaimed Kings, the King of Gods, an extremely well built apparently middle aged man wearing what looked like a Japanese Gi. With the tall pointed ears Harry finally recognized from his meeting with the brown-haired bombshell at the market, was speaking in flawless English,

"We never expected this sort of reaction, our worlds have been mixing to one degree or another for millennia but the gateways have been sealed for about the past 400 years. As our position as Kings demand, both Forbes and I have enough Magical power to open our own portals of course, and we often have business to conduct with your world."

The other man, King of the Devils, wore what looked like designer blue jeans and a black turtleneck sweater, his ears were long, low and pointed like the blue haired girl Harry had met at the park, he was kicking himself mentally for missing the connection but he really had written the whole thing off as fraud,

"As Eustus said we never expected this sort of uprising, indeed we believed the opening of the Gates would be a wonderful event, it was not prophecy or anything silly like that, but we both took it as a sign of sorts that the human world might finally be enlightened enough to handle the truth of our existence."

The interviewer asked him, "And what do you make of the rising numbers of proclaimed Devil Worshipers?"

The man's smile was breath taking, "Eustus and I have a long standing rivalry in that regard, I find it refreshing that people are flocking to me of course, but I think some of these outdated beliefs about good and evil need to be corrected. Yes we refer to ourselves as 'Devils' but just because the power we wield has a somewhat...Dark side to it, I believe we are anything but 'evil'. I would hope that my new followers understand that we have no intention of 'defeating God' or even taking over the world."

"You speak of the King of Gods as if he were an old friend?" The interviewer asked.

Eustus spoke up, "Oh Me yes, we go back hundreds of years, the gateway between my world and his has been wide open longer than the ones to the human world have been closed. There was a minor disagreement several thousand years ago but I assure you, that is all in the past."

"And the way you talk, do you actually claim to be THE GOD that many people pray to?"

"I do not claim to be anything, but rest assured I do hear your prayers. The title of 'GOD ALMIGHTY' is one of many I hold. Father, Lord, Almighty, HIM, I AM, you're looking at him in the flesh." He flashed a pointy toothed smile that was as intimidating as it was breathtaking. The Devil definitely had more charm but this man had Presence!

"Eustus please, I don't think that is helping matters..." The Devil sighed.

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Came a shout from behind and all the teenagers hit the floor and pulled their wands out, a stunner, a banishing charm, and a disarming charm were all dodged neatly by the surprisingly spry ex-Auror, the Bombarda took a huge chunk out of the living room wall however. Moody's eye rotated slowly from the hole in the wall back towards a blushing Hermione and then he grinned. "I like your spirit Granger, all of you could take a lesson from her when you've got Death Eaters after you. By the way you are all lucky the ministry still has me listed as a Hogwarts Professor so you won't be getting any letters about that bit of magic."

Harry was one of the first on his feet, "You know, you could simply tap me on the shoulder next time."

"Where's the fun in that, besides I think you learned a valuable lesson about getting too caught up in that thing."

The magic appeared to have shorted out the television anyway, so Harry went to the cupboard under the stairs and pulled out his neatly packed trunk while the other teens collected themselves, all throwing dirty looks in Mad-Eye's direction. "Um...Professor..."

"You know as well as I do I was never a Professor, Potter, call me Moody or Mad-Eye if you like."

"Right, um about the hole in the wall?"

His eye spun around 180 degrees once, "What, you don't like it?"

"Well I don't mind so much, but I should think my Uncle will be most displeased..."

"Fine fine, well since I'm not in the mood and you've currently got a free pass to do magic, you want to have a go at it?"

Harry grinned as his friends looked on, large scale Reparo spells were on this years Charms curriculum, they'd had to perform smaller versions of it for their OWL's but it took a lot more concentration to do the big stuff. Hermione looked jealous but Harry knew the Auror was right, Harry was probably the only one in the room able to get it just right since he had the best mental picture of how it was supposed to look.

He pulled up the memory from last night, held it in his mind and whispered the spell almost inaudibly as his hand automatically made the movement. Rubble and bits of torn wallpaper began floating up from the floor and back into place. Slowly at first but rapidly gaining momentum. Then the picture frames reassembled themselves, the torn pictures mending themselves as they landed in place followed by the broken glass. The last thing was the boring painting of flowers settling itself on the nail and then slightly nudging itself straight.

The room was silent as Harry opened his eyes to find his peers staring at him wide-eyed. Moody had an approving grin on his face. Ron spoke what the others were obviously thinking, "Bloody Hell mate!"

"Ron it was impressive but it didn't require such language, obviously Harry was intimately familiar with the room so he was able to make it look easy." Harry could almost hear the disbelief in Hermione's voice, almost.

"Near silent too, not bad at all Potter, I'd be willing to bet you said the words more out of habit than need didn't you?"

Did he? Harry wasn't really sure, his studying had been slow and hard like normal until he'd begun meditating. Maybe that couple of IQ points he'd gained had affected his casting ability. Everything had started to click faster and seem easier to him lately. "I suppose so, I wasn't really thinking about the spell, more about the result I wanted, if that makes sense?"

"Good an explanation as any, so what are you gonna do about the boob-tube?" Moody asked nodding in the direction of the fried electronic device.

Harry shrugged and sat his remaining stack of pound notes on top of it, figuring it would cover the repair or the cost of a new set. Dudley had been after his mother to get the bigger screen for the past week or so in any case, so it was only a matter of time til it was replaced.

"Alright then Potter, if you've got your things ready to go and if Miss Weasley is done gaping at you like you're some comic book superhero..." his eye swiveled to the now blushing but fuming witch, "then we'll head out the way we came in."

From his jacket he removed a short length of rope with five knots in it and held it out to them, Harry made sure to grasp the handle of his trunk firmly he reached for the portkey before going wide eyed and dropping his trunk causing the others to look at him. "Sorry, almost forgot something."

He ran upstairs and opened Hedwig's cage along with the window in his room. "Sorry Girl, so much going on this morning. I didn't forget you, I promise." She seemed to huff at him before hopping on to his proffered arm and barking at him. "I know girl, I thought you might like to fly to Headquarters or Hogwarts and wait for me. I'm sure you'd prefer that to travel by portkey. I know I would." She bumped her head against his shoulder before taking off out the window. He grabbed her cage and headed back downstairs.

"Almost forgot Hedwig, she never would have forgiven me."

"She's an owl Potter, what is she gonna do? Make you sleep on the sofa?" Mad-eye asked.

"You'd be surprised." Harry said noncommittally before grasping the trunk in one hand and holding out a finger with the hand holding the cage to touch the rope.

Moody waited for all of them to be touching then activated the portkey, "1, 2, 3, Lemon Drop."

Harry barely had time to laugh at the look on the old Aurors face before the tug behind his navel both made him sick and brought up memories of the graveyard. He quickly shoved that memory back into its hole while the world spun dizzily around them in rainbow colors. Then a hole opened up in their reality and he found himself floating down toward the ground, he actually was able to aim his feet instead of falling on his backside like the other teens did. He and Moody shared a laugh as the others got to their feet and the older man clapped Harry on the shoulder, he commented as he walked into the dining room, "Not bad at all Potter, you might just survive this thing if you keep improving like I've seen in the past hour."

Harry looked around to realize they had landed in parlor, halfway down the hallway leading to the kitchen, at Grimmauld Place. Molly heard the noise of their landing and came in from the direction of said kitchen to wrap him in a hug. "Hello again Harry!" She pulled him away to look at him and his clothes then pulled him back into a hug, "I think this is possibly the first time you've come to me not looking like a ragamuffin and half starved. And I'll add, glad to see you made it safely home yesterday." She gave him a knowing look and he nodded.

"Yes Mrs. Weasley, I headed straight home after that, thank you for pointing out where I went wrong."

"Such a good boy." She said with a smile. "Alright then, you are in the same room with Ron that you had last Christmas. Head on up and put your things in order, though I daresay you don't have time to unpack before you'll just be packing it up again for school." She turned to Ron, "We are having roast beef sandwiches for lunch in half an hour, so I'll expect you washed up and ready by then or you won't eat until dinner. Now off with you."

The four teens turned to head up the stairs when Molly called out, "Oh Ginny dear, lend us a hand in the kitchen will you?"

Ginny, who had been looking forward to actually talking to Harry after all the letter writing this summer, deflated a bit as she turned apologetic eyes to him, "Right mum, I'll be right there..."

Harry smiled at her, "Don't worry, we'll talk later I promise."

She smiled back and turned to head back into the kitchen with her mother, Ron looked back and forth between them oddly. "Just what the hell have you got going on with my sister anyway mate?"

Harry grinned knowingly but said nothing as he began dragging his trunk up the stairs to the second story. Hermione and Ron followed him into the room where he didn't even bother opening his luggage, choosing instead to sit on it after placing it at the foot of his bed. Hermione sat in the only chair in the room and Ron plopped down on his bed then propped his head on his hand. After a few moments of silence Harry went first,

"Right then, a few possible Death Eater attacks but very low key as far as I could tell, I already told you I didn't know anything about these Gods and Devils until last night and it sounded like a fraud so I wrote it off. Now you?"

Ron shrugged, "Not much more than that to report here mate, they pretty much keep us in the dark about everything unless we can eavesdrop. Mum has gotten wise to the extendable ears though."

Hermione nodded, "It seems as though Voldemort has taken a sabbatical for some reason, there haven't been any large scale operations for us to observe, just the normal coming and going of the Order members."

"So basically, you know nothing." Harry asked, just a bit put out.

Ron nodded, "Yeah that's about the size of it."

"So you couldn't have written me about the books you were reading or the games of chess you were winning?" Harry asked tersely.

"The Headmaster forbid us communicating with you Harry, I really didn't want to listen to him but..."

"But of course you did Hermione...its alright, I know you have a problem with Authority...I guess I'd hoped Umbridge had shown you that position doesn't make one right, even Dumbledore." Harry said the name hotly before he cold catch himself.

"Yeah mate, about that. You go up to the Headmaster's office, blow a few things up and then we never hear why? Talk about withholding information. We had to overhear him tell mum that you even did that much."

Harry's first impulse was to explode at his friends but he took a second to close his eyes and breath deeply, reorganizing his thoughts and removing emotion from his words. His friends really didn't know what he was going through, they hadn't been told about the Prophecy. They knew Sirius was missing and probably assumed he was just blaming the Headmaster for that.

"You're right," he began but Hermione interrupted him.

"Are you sure you're Harry James Potter?"

Harry's eyebrows knitted as he pondered the absurd question, "Yes, I'm almost positive I'm myself..."

"Because you have been entirely too rational and...forgive me...even more impressive than usual, other than the way you woke up of course." Her grin left Ron in the dark but Harry ignored his confusion.

"Yes I am myself, I am just taking a second to think things through rather than acting rashly...Sirius is missing because we acted rashly. If I had taken a little more time to think it through I could have used the communication mirrors to contact him instead of trying to find a fire with an outside line..."

Hermione smiled sadly, "Harry you can't blame yourself for that...we lost him because of Voldemort, it isn't your fault, we did everything we could be expected to think of before we went to the ministry."

"And you got hurt, we all got captured, we lost the prophecy, I got possessed and Sirius is missing. When I could have avoided all that by thinking of the silly mirror that was buried under the mess in my trunk. No Hermione, I'm actively trying to change the way I think and act, I even packed my trunk neatly this year so I know exactly what is in it and where. I'm meditating a bit to help keep my emotions in check too...I don't need to be blowing up any more of the Headmaster's things."

"Back to that." Ron said nodding, having found a subject he recognized.

Harry got up and looked out the door then closed it and sat back down, "I want to tell Ginny as well but she's busy. Don't think we are leaving her out of things anymore. I'm sorry Ron but she proved her worth last year just like Neville and Luna did and I don't want to move forward without them if I don't have to. I know she's your little sister, but she is one of my friends and one of the people I want to protect and who I'd want protecting me if need be." Ron didn't know how to reply to that, Harry could see the gears turning in his head but no response coming soon so he continued on, "There is a prophecy."

Hermione nodded, "We were there Harry, there is a prophecy about Voldemort but it was destroyed."

He shook his head, "It's about Voldemort...and me, and that copy was destroyed but Dumbledore knew it the whole time."

That got Ron and Hermione's attention both, "What?"

Rather than explain he simply recited,

"_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies ..._"

Ron sat back and Hermione had produced a pad of paper and a biro from somewhere, her hand was over her mouth as she read what she had written down.

"Harry..." she began as Ron exclaimed quietly, "Bloody Hell."

"Yeah I know..."

"Harry, have you gone through this? I mean really thought about the different parts?" She asked.

He nodded, having analyzed this just like he analyzed his enemies, "Born to those who have thrice defied him, Dumbledore told me my parents were some of the only ones to fight him and escape several times. As the seventh month dies is the end of July, kinda hard to miss that reference to my birthday. I'm obviously marked..."

"And either must..." She began but he interrupted her.

"Yes Hermione...either I have to kill him or he has to kill me. There is no protecting me from him, neither of us can live until the other one is dead. And he's got years of training and power on me."

"But the power he knows not?" Ron asked, grasping at straws, "You have some power he doesn't know about."

Harry laughed, "Yeah...would you like to know what Dumbledore thinks it is? Love." He let the word hang in the air. "My power is Love...it sounds like an 80's love song."

Hermione couldn't help but laugh a bit at that before she got serious again, "Okay honestly, the power of love...I'm not sure...I mean I respect the Headmaster for everything he has done but doesn't that sound a bit..."

"More than a bit!" Ron exclaimed, "What are you gonna do, hug him to death?"

Harry nodded, "My thoughts exactly. So I've been studying, trying to change the way my brain works, the way I think and react to things, the way I learn things. I think it's definitely working at least that last one, I can pick things up really fast now."

"You could pick things up really fast before Harry, but this is kind of shocking to see what you were able to do in one summer when you couldn't even practice with your wand. You are definitely not good with the homework and the studying but when it comes to practical application you were already a genius with Defense and Charms. I'm sure if we could just get you a suitable teacher you would excel at Potions as well..." Hermione's brows furrowed as she went into some far off thinking place.

"I told you!" Ron said excitedly, "I told you Snape was the problem! It's not me!"

She looked up and pierced him with her eyes, "Honestly Ronald, you aren't all that great at the practical application of magic either. I think we all know you have only gotten to sixth year without repeating is because I have to constantly harp on you to complete your assignments."

"Now see here you, I'm getting tired of this! All summer you keep on me about my summer homework, talk about how I'm riding on your brains and Harry's glory like I'm completely useless. I've had enough!" He got up and stormed from the room.

Harry raised one eyebrow at his bushy-haired friend, "You didn't lay into him just a bit too hard?"

She shrugged, "We've been stuck together with only Ginny for a buffer for the past 3 weeks, I'm not certain we've ever gone that long at a stretch without you there to keep us from killing each other. He's not a bad friend at all, but he just...gives me fits, he drives me mad sometimes and not in a good way!"

"So this has been an ongoing argument between the two of you I take it? I hope you aren't trying to win me to your side because...well you know Hermione...he was my first close friend in the world. He's not a bad bloke when he isn't being a jealous git. I wouldn't give him or his family up for anything."

She nodded, "And neither would I, we've had this argument a couple of times in the past weeks and we both agree our friendship is worth enough to keep going. That's why he left just now...he didn't want to make me cry again.."

"Again?" Harry's mood turned darker than he expected, "You mean like before the Troll right?"

She shook her head, "No Harry, it's been rather unpleasant without you here to referee...but we both love you and we respect each other to a certain degree...since he made me cry we've worked most of that out."

The word love kind of took him by surprise but he figured he knew what she meant, they were one big happy Weasley family, he and Hermione had basically been adopted and he loved them like siblings as far as he could tell. "I love you guys too," Harry said, he saw the tears sparkling in Hermione's eyes and got up to move over to her. She wrapped her arms around his middle and he pulled her head against his chest.

"Oh Harry..." She said while sobbing slightly, "Its...good to have you back."

He smiled down at her, "I missed my Hermione hugs."

She punched him softly in the chest as she wiped her eyes on his shirt then looked up at him, her nose only inches from his and suddenly found herself trapped in his eyes. Her playful taunt died as it left her lips, "...prat..."

Just then the door opened and Ginny walked in smiling until she saw the two embracing, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt!" She said nervously while trying to turn and leave the room.

"What? Gin get back here! It's just a hug!" he motioned for her to join in and she quickly smiled and wrapped her arms around his chest.

Hermione smiled wryly up at her, "I think the least I deserve is a hug, after all you got a kiss out of him."

Ginny blushed and buried her face in his shoulder, he was blushing as well and not entirely certain why. "Shut up Hermione, that wasn't my fault. Mister "I dream of Ginny" over here couldn't tell the difference between the real me and his fantasy. What's a girl to do?"

"Hey! I do not fantasize about you!" He said trying to defend himself.

Both girls frowned a bit and Ginny said softly, "You know, you shouldn't say things like that to a girl, you might hurt her self esteem..."

Harry closed his eyes and breathed before speaking, "Gin you know what I mean...its not that I don't..."

She suddenly grinned, "So you DO dream about me?"

"Wait I didn't say that!"

She frowned, "Oh..okay..."

"What about me Harry?" Hermione asked, a pout on her lips, "Am I not as good as Ginny?"

"Of course you are, I love you Hermione."

"But you don't love me?" Ginny asked.

He was trying to slow things down so he could think but it wasn't working, apparently girls were his kryptonite. "Of course I do Gin, I just..."

She raised a fist into the air in triumph and pulled away from him with a huge grin on her face, "Yes!" She then left the room with a confused Harry still holding a laughing Hermione.

"Honestly Harry, and you were just saying how you learn so much more quickly..."

"But.." Harry said in confusion.

Ginny popped her head back into the room, "By the way lunch is ready," and disappeared again.

Hermione stood up and wiped her eyes daintily then smiled as she left the room, did...did she just shake her bottom at him on the way out?

"What the hell?" He asked the empty space.

* * *

After lunch they were put to work cleaning so the Order could have a meeting, Molly was in the room with them to make sure they were doing it properly, in actuality Harry knew it was to keep them from eavesdropping using whatever methods they might devise. After cleaning Ginny was once again grabbed to help make dinner and Hermione decided to join in just to break the monotony, leaving Harry and Ron to play a bit of chess and catch up on boy things like Quidditch and girls, however the conversation stayed far away from Ginny and Hermione except for Ron to grunt angrily in response to Harry's attempt at humor in regard to Ron and Hermione seeing each other.

Dinner went by without much fanfare as it was only Molly, Arthur and the teens in the house. Ginny surprised them with homemade cookies. Not the usual biscuits but actual American style chocolate chip, Ron had tried to dig in right away but Molly made sure it was clear that Ginny had made them for Harry...and everyone else so he got the first one. It was moist and gooey just the way Harry liked it and he said so, earning a slight blush for his praise. After that was taken care of they quickly disappeared though Harry saved one to take back up to the bedroom with him.

First order of business was to read Ginny in on the Prophecy she'd risked her life for at the Ministry. Her reaction was very similar to Hermione's, leading to her trying not to cry in his arms as she hugged him and told him she would be there with him til the end, whatever that might be. He didn't realize how much he would appreciate her full support and he was a bit watery eyed as well by the end.

He finally managed to separate himself from her to sit with Ron on one bed while the girls sat on the other facing them. "Alright then, next order of business?" He asked.

Hermione's notepad came out of nowhere again and she scanned it quickly, "Right, it looks like we are back to this Gods and Devils business. I know we discussed it briefly but Ginny wasn't here. I'm not positive this won't be something major world wide that might even trump Voldemort and the Prophecy for a time."

Ginny turned on her, "Nothing is more important than getting Harry to the other side of this fight alive!"

The brunette smiled, "Of course not, but there is not a time frame for when that confrontation will happen. Obviously Harry has already taken steps to train and work harder with regard to knowledge and power and we can help him and even join him in making certain that next time we face Death Eaters it won't end with anyone injured or captured. I meant of course, that the situation with these alien beings is more pressing."

"Yeah, but what exactly do you expect us to do about it Hermione? I mean we're just kids and we are half a world away from those Gates." Ron said with a contemplative look.

"Well, for one they have made it known that Magic is real. They seemed to think the world would accept this and we'd all move forward as one big happy family of beings. Instead the world is in uproar, Atheists are up in arms because they think it is all a hoax, the Christians are up in arms because someone is claiming to be God, the Satanists are confused because they thought the Devil would be the personification of Evil and yet the man on the telly seems more like Steve Jobs than Satan."

"Who?" Ginny, Harry and Ron all asked at the same time.

She sighed, "Steve Jobs is the founder and CEO of Apple Computers, Harry should understand at least that much." Harry nodded having used computers in primary school a bit, "He has a sort of trade mark look, blue jeans and a black turtleneck sweater, I was only saying that this King of Devils person is stylish and suave, if anything I'd have an easier time believing this Eustus fellow were the Devil than The Almighty."

Ginny and Ron both seemed a bit blank but motioned for her to continue, "So Muggles now know about Magic, the world is not becoming a Utopia, it is turning on itself. I can see Wars starting soon if something isn't done and with Magic involved how long do you think it will take for the Wizarding World to be outed?"

Now the lights went on in the eyes of the Weasley children and they both nodded, Hermione continued, "So I don't know what we can do about it besides try to bring our concerns up to the Headmaster, he is after all the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. My main concern in regards to how this all affects us, is that we do not need to be fighting wars on two fronts. Against the Muggles and against Voldemort, if we can help it."

Ron nodded, "It's like chess, playing two games at once more than doubles the difficulty."

Ginny rolled her eyes and ignored her brother, "So we try to tell the Headmaster what is going on? Surely he would know already?"

"It is all over the Muggle news but I saw today's edition of the Prophet in the dining room and there was no mention at all about this. If the Ministry knows about this they are keeping it quiet, most Wizards in the UK at least, do not have access to a television and even the ones with access to Muggle newspapers could probably care less. "

Harry nodded, "Well the first chance we get we can let Dumbledore know...something tells me the Ministry is well aware of what is going on but knowing Fudge he is probably writing it off and sweeping it under the covers to keep the sheep from spooking. Those two would have to appear at Hogwarts or Diagon Alley before he'd admit there was anything to worry about. So, whats next?"

She scanned her notepad again and raised an eyebrow, "When we first arrived with you back from Surrey, Mrs. Weasley mentioned seeing you yesterday and sending you home? What was that all about?"

Harry's eyes widened for a second at being caught out before he realized he had nothing to hide, he needed Hermione's help anyway, "Oh that, well I got some advice from..." his eyes met Ginny's and she shook her head, "..a friend that I should try to get out of the house this summer as much as possible. So I started going to the Library in disguise."

Hermione lit up a bit at the mention but controlled herself, "Library? Really?"

"Yes Hermione," Harry grinned at her, "I picked up a few things here and there, I've developed a bit of a hobby in Psychology. I know it's odd but you'd be surprised how easy it is to figure some people out with just a bit of knowledge."

Ron looked confused, "So mum found you at the Library?"

"No, I was actually in Diagon Alley, nobody had told me when I was getting picked up, I had no clue if anyone was going to get my school things for me, so I hopped on the Knight Bus and headed there in disguise as well. I got most of my shopping done before she spotted me in the Twins shop, I completely blame them for getting me caught."

Ginny was wide eyed, "Mum caught you alone in Diagon Alley and...let you go? We haven't heard a word about this! I would have thought she'd be yelling up one side of the house and down the other about it!"

Harry put a finger to the side of his nose and winked at her, "Remember my hobby, I stopped, thought about it from her point of view, and addressed her concerns while acknowledging that she was right and I shouldn't have snuck out. She let me off with a warning."

Ron was slack-jawed, "Nobody has gotten away with stuff like that since Bill left! You have to teach me!"

"Us!" Ginny added with a sideways look at her brother, "You have to teach Us how to do that!"

Harry held up his hands, "There really isn't anything to teach, you just have to not go with your first thought. Instead of thinking about it from your point of view you think about it from the other persons point of view and try to find common ground."

Hermione wasn't so certain, "That sounds a bit...manipulative to me Harry."

He shrugged, "It might be, but I didn't hurt anyone, I would have accepted her suggested punishment if it had been harsher. But I think she could see that I really did understand why she was upset and that made it less of an issue."

"Still mate...wow." Was all Ron could say.

Harry had a sudden flash from their earlier conversation, "Hey back to the Gods and Devils thing...have you seen much of Dumbledore lately?"

The other three looked at each other and shook their heads, "Not really, unless he comes in the middle of the night we haven't even seen him during the Order Meetings this summer. You think that's related to this mess?" Ron asked.

"That might be, it was just an observation though." Harry said with a shrug. "He may be a manipulative old bastard but I'm not sure he could miss what's going on out there."

"Harry honestly.." Hermione sighed in exasperation, "Must you say things like that about someone as respected as Professor Dumbledore?"

In response he shrugged, "I'm only calling it the way I see it Hermione. There was a time I felt like he was my missing grandfather saving me from a life of misery and introducing me to a whole new world of magic. Now though...I just feel used."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked out of genuine curiosity.

"Well lets see here, my first year he has Hagrid take me to Gringotts where I see him take something 'on orders from Dumbledore', it turns out to be the Philosophers Stone. Arguably the most insane villain in recent history is expected to have cheated death and is after the stone, so where is the safest place to hide it? Why, in a school full of children who can act as human shields. My two best friends are a genius Muggleborn and a chess prodigy and honestly, no Pureblood would have ever figured out that riddle, that chess set was simple for Ron if you don't count getting knocked unconscious, we'd already beaten a troll together, the room full of keys that you had to catch on a broom absolutely smacks of Quidditch Seeker, the only mistake he made in setting the traps specifically for us to get past was that we didn't bring Neville along with us to deal with the Devil's Snare. Then I get to the final room and the stone is hidden inside the Mirror of Erised, which Dumbledore knew I'd already found and figured out. "

"Now I'm not one to be suspicious..." At this Ginny nearly snorted trying not to laugh and Harry smiled at her, "But it seems almost like a trap for me as much as Voldemort. Dumbledore knew about the prophecy and was trying to get me to kill Voldemort while he was at his weakest. Either that or his idea of security is severely lacking. I admit, from what I've seen he might be going a bit bonkers in his old age and might have actually thought he was doing the right thing."

Ron was interested now, "Okay so what about second year?"

Harry nodded, "That one is tricky, it became obvious pretty early that there was a creature roaming the school. I'm not sure I believe for a second that Dumbledore hadn't figured out it was a Basilisk already, but he also knew that I was a Parselmouth. The sword of Gryffindor falls out of the Sorting Hat which was carried in at the absolute last possible moment to save me by Dumbledores phoenix familiar."

"Well when you put it that way..." Ron trailed off.

Ginny was bouncing up and down, "Now me, Now me! How about third year?" She was too caught up in the game to dwell on the fact that he'd been facing that serpent to save her life.

Harry ran his hand through his hair, tousling it nervously, "Now I admit...That was mostly Sirius' fault. But Sirius never would have been in prison in the first place if Dumbledore didn't want him there. People like Snape and Malfoy got off Scott free for worse than Sirius was accused of and at least THEY got trials. And what kind of educator in his right mind allows soul sucking demons anywhere near a student let alone hordes of them?"

He looked at Hermione for a moment before she half smiled and said, "Fourth Year?"

He nodded, "Would you like to try Hermione?"

She straightened up and thought for a moment, "Well...I suppose he and Professor Moody are very well acquainted and yet he didn't notice anything off about the imposter. Knowing that there was an age line, drawn by himself around the Cup, he had to know for absolute certain that you did not enter yourself into the tournament." At this point she threw a piercing sideways glance at Ron who had the good sense to shrink back a bit in shame, "Why he forced you to compete rather than taking an incomplete for each task...and certainly, if the protections at Hogwarts keep people from Apparating, including the staff, then the only person who could have created the portkey that took you out of the arena was the Headmaster...however I would like to think once he created it to bring the champion back to the beginning of the maze Crouch was able to modify the destination..."

"And last year he had Snape mind-rape me rather than teaching me Occlumency himself even after I complained. If anything I think all Snape did was open me up to further influence by Voldemort. It's no wonder I wasn't thinking straight toward the end, I'd been enduring mental trauma on a regular basis both waking and sleeping, for the better part of an entire school year. To top it all off, if he had just told me the Prophecy I would have known what Voldemort was up to and never fallen for that trap. And don't get me started on Umbridge, I should think a teacher torturing her students would be worth shutting down the entire school rather than allowing it to continue while he fought political battles."

"No, the man has made either every single mistake along the way all in the name of the Greater Good, or he is trying to turn me into a weapon to aim at Voldemort. Honestly I've decided that if he meddled at all in Riddle's life while he was at Hogwarts it is no wonder the man went barmy and homicidal. Can you give me one good reason I should like Muggles after seeing the way my relatives treat me?"

There was silence in the room for several minutes as Harry calmed himself down and the others absorbed what he'd said. It was broken when Molly popped her head in the door and let them know it was time for bed and the girls left him with a hug as he sat somewhat broodingly on the edge of the bed. Ron got up and moved to his own bed as the girls exited and they both went to sleep without saying another word.


	4. Chapter 4

******Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, plot and interactions are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

******Hogwarts Shuffle! Chapter Four**

******08/29 - Thursday**

"Harry."

He mumbled something and rolled away from the voice, not even sure what he said because it didn't matter, it was comfy and warm here.

"Harry you can sleep in if you want to, but you'll miss breakfast."

Breakfast? That sounded nice. His stomach gave a short rumble to indicate that it agreed, but still...it was so nice and comfy.

"Five minutes?" He asked, cracking open his eyes to see the Long flame-red hair of a female Weasley.

"You can have ten if you want but you know you'll just sleep until lunch or mum rolls you sleepy head."

"One minute?" He asked stubbornly.

In response she pulled the covers off of him and he feared the worst, that unimaginably cold rush of air that came with losing your blankets first thing in the morning. Instead what he got was a nice, warm body laying against his own. He felt something...two soft somethings, press against his back and a sigh of warm air on the back of his neck. Part of him was instantly awake, the rest of him soon followed as he jumped out of the opposite side of the bed and pointed at the...redheaded angel in his bed pouting up at him.

"Gin! What the blazes do you think you're doing? What would Ron think if he walked in on that?"

She frowned playfully as she propped herself up one one elbow looking at him somewhat seductively while perched on his pillow. "Well I was tired of arguing, and I said yesterday if I'd known how comfy it was I'd have just climbed in with you from the start. Now I do and so I did."

"Besides Harry," Hermione announced from the doorway, "She did say it was breakfast time so Ron will be happily sitting at the table until the food is gone. I was tempted to climb in myself if there were room, it looks cozy."

He turned on her, "Now you see here! You...you.." his mind went blank, Ginny was one thing, this was definitely the girl he'd gotten to know in letters all summer. It was odd meshing the shy girl he'd known for years with the outspoken and spunky girl in his bed but not intolerable. But Hermione...she had always been a girl of course...but now she was acting...like a girl...and did she just imply something about his bed...and sharing it with Gin too? Could he do that? Would that be okay as long as both girls knew about the other one? Wouldn't that make him a scarlet...man? A slag? Was there a male equivalent to being a slag? Did he care if anyone called him a slag...

"I think we can both see quite clearly Harry." Hermione said, dramatically rolling her eyes downwards so his gaze would follow to the rather large tent in his boxers.

This realization snapped him out of his string of thoughts and he nearly leapt into Ron's bed and grabbed his pillow to hide his shame, and was working on forcing down his blush. "OUT! BOTH OF YOU!"

Ginny sighed loudly as she got out of his bed but smiled brightly at him on her way out the door. Hermione paused as she turned to follow, "Just so you know, it seems Mrs. Weasley has a bit of gossip about the school but she wouldn't tell until we were all present, otherwise we'd have let you sleep in later." She glanced down again then back up, "And I would be careful not to let Ron know about your relationship, I don't think he would ever sleep soundly again."

"We're just friends Hermione! I think..." He half shouted, half pleaded with her.

She smiled, "I meant the pillow Harry, but maybe you should figure the other one out as well?"

With that said she pulled the door closed behind her with a smile. Harry pulled the pillow up to his face and shouted at the room, "WHAT THE HELL?"

* * *

He was finally able to get dressed after...putting certain thoughts out of his mind, and headed downstairs to see what all the fuss was about. Ron had his own rasher of bacon and a stack of pancakes that never quite seemed to go down more than he took away at a time. Both girls were seated with more dainty portions of the same on their plates. He called out a good morning to Mrs. Weasley as he sat down and began with a pancake and three slices of bacon. He took a sip of the juice in front of him before realizing something odd.

"Is this Orange Juice?"

The odd question caught Hermione off guard, both Ron and Ginny were ignoring the stuff, "Yes dear, it seems Sirius had a taste for it and the only good thing that House Elf did for this place was to stock up on the vile stuff. I have Pumpkin Juice in the icebox if you'd prefer it?"

One glance at Hermione and they both smiled, pumpkin wasn't necessarily awful, but ordinary apple or orange juice was something they were both much more comfortable with being raised in the Muggle world. "No thank you, actually I almost want to thank the ugly little bugger..."

"Harry!" Hermione chastised him.

A mumbling could be heard from said elf as he walked out of the pantry and shuffled through the kitchen, "Oh now awful little master and his Mudblood like this horrible horrible drink, if only Mistress were here she would revel in watching the acid burn its way down their throats after a bit of Transfiguration. Yes and then the fun would begin..."

"Kreacher!" Molly shouted at him, "You will not use that word in this house!"

"And now blood traitors try to order him about, whatever will Kreacher do?" He mock shivered in fear, "Can't order me around though, it's not her house is it?"

All eyes turned to Harry, avoiding the obvious implication but painfully reminding Harry that with Sirius gone... "Wait? If Sirius is dead wouldn't this house belong to someone else now..."

Molly was trying not to tear up, Hermione and Gin weren't far behind and both grabbed a hand in his lap. "Yes dear...the Headmaster hadn't wanted to bother you with it since the house didn't lock us out..but it seems that the only copy of Sirius will left everything to his Godson..."

"So this is my house and nobody bothered to tell me?" Harry asked before closing his eyes and beginning his breathing exercises.

_Breath: Dumbledore is still hiding things from me for "My own good" I'm sure..._

_Breath: Left me at the Dursley's all Summer when I could have been in my own home..._

_Breath: But they were worried the house would lock them out...and it didn't?_

_Breath: Automatic defenses were expected to go into effect when Sirius passed on, that hasn't happened so..._

Harry opened his eyes and smiled at everyone, "Kreacher!" The elf paused at the doorway and looked over his shoulder stiffly.

"Bad master wishes to speak to Kreature?"

"I'm ordering you not to use the words Mudblood or Blood Traitor in this house any longer, is that understood?" He half hoped the elf would refuse him.

Slowly the elf nodded, "Kreature...understands..." He continued his path down the hallway, mumbling about how disappointed the Mistress would be to see the House of Black so shamed but didn't say another offensive word about its current residents.

_That doesn't prove that Sirius is dead though, only that Kreature recognizes me as family._

"See, all better now." Harry said before going back to his food.

Hermione and Ginny shared a troubled look but as Harry seemed happy enough they left it alone for the moment. They continued to eat in silence for a few minutes after the exchange, unsure how to change the subject. Possibly waiting for him to have an emotional outburst or begin breaking things as he'd done at the end of the last school term. When nothing seemed to be forthcoming Hermione broached the subject from earlier.

"So Mrs. Weasley, you said you had news to share with us?"

Molly all but jumped at the chance to change subjects gracefully, "Oh my yes! It seems you will have a new teacher this year, Horace Slughorn taught while we were at Hogwarts," She looked at Harry, "Your mother was one of his favorites actually, he's a bit of an odd man with a taste for sweets but one of the best at his subject."

Ron looked a bit perplexed, "Well...with Umbridge gone there was an empty position right? So why is this gossip? Unless we weren't supposed to know until the feast or something?"

His mother smiled, "Oh, well I suppose that might be true, but the reason it is gossip is that Professor Dumbledore has been trying to coax him back into teaching for years and always been refused. Apparently there is something going on at Hogwarts this year juicy enough to entice him back to teaching after so many years of retirement." She held up her hands when she saw the questions in everyone's eyes, "Ah ah, I don't know the specifics only that to get Professor Slughorn to come out of retirement it has to be exciting news." She turned her eyes back to Harry specifically, "Do be careful in how you handle yourself around him dear, he tends to...collect important people into what he calls his 'Slug Club', Head Boys and Girls, future Ministers of Magic, various other talented individuals all, who end up being Important people after leaving Hogwarts. I'm sure he'll have his eye on you."

"Thank you?" Harry half replied, half asked, "I'll keep that in mind."

The news was almost a let down and somewhat troubling, the last bit of juicy news out of Hogwarts pre-start-of-term had been about the Triwizard Tournament after all. Still, Harry was still a bit high on the bit of evidence that Sirius was still alive, but he knew better than to voice that out loud without more facts.

He finished up his plate just as the others did and automatically stood to take them to the sink, "No dear you can leave those on the table, I'll take care of them. I'd like you four to help clean out a couple of rooms today that Kreature has seemingly been shoving things into. If you get any indication that an item is dark magic I expect you to call me right away as we've been keeping a running inventory to turn over to the Ministry. Possibly for destruction by the Headmaster as appropriate, but it looks to me more like things with sentimental value to the poor dear. Ron and the girls can show you some of the cleaning tricks I've taught them Harry. I have a few errands to run later so you'll have run of the house but I expect at least half of these to be cleaned up today. If I'm gone and you run across one of those items you just shut the door and move on to the next room is that understood?"

The teens all nodded their assent though the looks on their faces said they could all think of more entertaining ways to spend the last couple of days before school started.

"Alright then, go ahead and wash up and I'll point out the five or so rooms you can work on today."

Harry was returning to his room after brushing his teeth and other morning necessities he hadn't taken care of before breakfast. He found Hermione deep in thought sitting on his bed and paused for a moment in contemplation. Her hair was straighter than he remembered and she'd gained more of a figure as well. He didn't spend too long admiring her female bits other than to recognize that not only was she _acting_ like a girl all of a sudden...she was an attractive woman. He thought back to the Yule Ball and the woman in front of him was leaps and bounds more attractive than the girl that nearly made him drool that night.

While he was pondering his mind turned to Gin, who had morphed over the summer from the tomboyish little sister into a redhead bombshell. Where Hermione was an understated beauty of the sexy librarian sort. Gin was movie star, pinup girl, shot-to-the-chest-the-first-time-you-saw her, knockout beautiful. He hadn't had time to appreciate the changes because his first impression was wrecked by home invasion.

It was now Hermione studying him who was lost in thought that spoke up, "Harry? Is everything alright?"

He looked up, "Oh, yeah sorry, just thinking through some things. Did you need something?"

She nodded and stood up, "I was thinking about your little game yesterday...you didn't actually mean all those things you said about the Headmaster did you?"

He smiled, "Actually I don't really know what I believe, I know I don't hate him or anything but you have to admit at the very least, he's made many mistakes that have affected my life for the worse."

"I can admit that, but you were manipulating us weren't you?" She said this with a hint of hurt and more than a bit of indignation.

"Hermione, what do you do every time someone talks bad about Dumbledore? Or any authority figure really? You defend them automatically. If it's bad for you, how do you think my observations would go over with Ron and Ginny who have been raised to almost worship him? I was just playing the Devils Advocate."

Her look softened, "I don't like being manipulated Harry, isn't that what you accused the Headmaster of doing? Do you think it is somehow better when you do it?"

He nodded, "Actually I think it is, I was doing it more from a learning standpoint. I knew you three could reach your own conclusions but you needed to consider more than just the obvious angles. When Cho couldn't cast her Patronus last year in the DA I didn't just tell her how to do it, I walked her through it so that she could find her own way. I didn't realize I was being manipulative at the time, but I really didn't gain anything by it, it was for her own good. I'm not even sure I could manipulate someone into something that wasn't."

Hermione's look darkened a bit when Cho's name was mentioned but it passed quickly as he continued to explain, "So it is a teaching tool...you're very good at that you know?"

"Good at what? Teaching? I just did what anyone else would have done, you could have done it."

She shook her head, "No I don't think I could, I know things certainly, but I'm not very good at imparting information. You were able to teach a hundred people a charm that even adult's find difficult to impossible, and you did it in a couple of months. You're a great teacher Harry..." She moved closer to him, "I'm really really happy you're here and I'm sorry I doubted you."

He did something strange then, he'd shared plenty of hugs with Hermione in the past but she'd always been the one to initiate them. This time he opened his arms unthinkingly and let her sink into them. His head rested on top of hers, demonstrating that she wasn't the only one that had done some physical maturing over the summer, "Thank you Hermione, I'm really happy to be here too. With family instead of relatives."

She smiled into his shoulder and pulled back to face him, "Just promise me you won't use your powers for evil? I'll still follow you into hell if I have to but I always imagined we'd be fighting our way in to defend this world, not to take over."

"I promise," he said with a grin, "Now lets get downstairs before Ginny thinks there is something going on here."

Hermione smiled up at him suddenly turning playful which had him on edge, "Who says there isn't? And if there is nothing going on between you two why shouldn't we try something?" She was slowly closing the distance between them and his heart was racing a mile a minute. He didn't know what to expect next or if he wanted it to happen or to stop it...

"Too bad we're such good friends isn't it, you know I'd never think of you as a love interest." She pushed him away playfully.

He almost had to blink at the change in attitude, he was getting more confused by the second, "Right...well you know I wouldn't think of you like that either. You're my best friend." He smiled but she put on a pout.

"You know...you really have to watch saying things like that, it will kill a girls self esteem."

And now he was back peddling, frantically trying to make this okay, "Hermione wait you know I didn't mean.." he began to stutter.

"Oh Harry you really are much too easy, we're going to have to toughen you up or you'll get eaten alive by fan girls. I know at least one that would like a taste." She winked and disappeared out the door leaving him more confused than ever.

This was getting old...and worse...he could get used to it.

* * *

After lunch, the girls decided they simply had to wash off the ick that was hanging off of them whereas the boys were very much of the "but I'll just get dirty again" mindset. So Ron and Harry were working alone in one of the rooms, rather silently as guys tend to get with no background noise. They'd exchange a few words every span of minutes unless something hooked them into a longer conversation which usually died within another span of minutes leaving a comfortable, working silence. It didn't help matters that Ginny and Hermione were chattering away the entire morning. Harry had read somewhere that women have around 25,000 words to use every day, whereas men have closer to 10,000. So when a guy gets home after a long day of school or work, he wants quiet, he just wants to sit in front of the television silently and maybe have a sandwich and a drink. Then the women come home and have another 15,000 words to use up before bed time. One can only hope another female calls them on the phone or visits, or that a woman is understanding when the most conversation they get is a grunt, a nod and the occasional "I totally agree".

It was during one of those times that Harry had an interesting yet disturbing thought.

"Ron?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm so sorry."

That caught him up short, "What do you mean?"

"You've been stuck here all summer, with your mum, your sister and Hermione. I'm so sorry."

Ron was beginning to look confused, "Well yeah, but you were stuck with the Dursleys while I was here with them. So I should be sorry right?"

Harry smiled at him, "Yeah but do you ever get to be right?"

Ron finally caught on and frowned, "Blimey it's been bloody horrible! My mum wouldn't let me pick my own classes when we got the OWL results, then Hermione had to chime in on both mine and hers, did she tell you she got 11? And Ginny going on and on about some bloke she was writing to all summer. Mum didn't catch on but I saw her sneaking letters to Errol. And the noise, natter natter natter. I swear it was worse than a menagerie in here, a guy was lucky to eat in peace!"

Harry patted him on the shoulder, "There there, let it all out."

Ron smiled jokingly and took a breath, "And then Hermione...you know I might have fancied her in fourth year."

"Oh really? I never would have known." Harry tried to say with a straight face.

"Yeah but she's unbelievably annoying without you around. Honestly I don't know how I stand her. Don't get me wrong, she's an amazing friend and I couldn't have gotten past OWLs without her. But she really hasn't changed all that much since we saved her from that troll, she's just worn us down!"

"Ron you do remember why we had to save her in the first place right?"

He thought for a moment then frowned, "Well yeah...so I guess I'm being a bit hard on her. Like I said she's a great friend...she's one of my best friends, but I think we'd kill each other if we ever tried anything more than that. Besides I'm not sure she's ever going to date anybody at Hogwarts anyway, shes in love with books."

Harry frowned at the thought for some reason, "Well, maybe she is just smart enough to graduate before getting a boyfriend is all. I mean, its hard to make head girl if you're too busy snogging in broom cupboards right?" He had to force himself not to think about his mum and dad who had been head boy and girl in their day but had begun dating sixth year.

"I suppose so, but I think guys would be crazy to date her anyway."

"What about Ginny?" Harry asked only slightly hiding his curiosity well.

"Any guy who touches her dies." Ron said with vehemence.

"That's a bit overdoing it don't you think?"

He thought about it for a second then looked at Harry for a longer second...tick...tick... "If you're asking me permission to date my sister Potter..."

"What? No of course not! I was just saying."

"Then I'd give it to you." Ron finished over top of Harry's protestations to the contrary.

"Wait...what?"

Ron looked away and rubbed his neck nervously, "Well the way I see it is like this, she's wild for you, it's obvious, and if anyone ever got to touch her...well..."

Harry was feeling all emotional, "Ron I think of you like a brother too."

Ron shook his head and grinned, "Well I mean, you did save her life so you kind of own her now anyway. I can't keep you from claiming your property."

Harry was stunned into silence, the word property running around his head, "That..that's a joke right? I mean I don't _own_ her or anything! I didn't save her for that!"

Ron was laughing silently while Harry puzzled it out and began guffawing loudly and he had to sit down on the floor to catch his breath, "Honestly mate," he said between bouts, "You're too gullible, I forget you were raised a Muggle sometimes. That was just too good."

Harry picked up a pillow and threw it at the red headed hyena, "Oh laugh it up you git, how can you talk about your sister like that anyway?"

Ron was still laughing a bit but what he was saying came out sincere all the same, "Honestly Harry, I was joking mostly, but...well if you wanted to ask her out I wouldn't mind so much. I think she's starting to take after Hermione though aside from this mysterious letter bloke. She seems really intent on no boyfriends this year. Good thing too...because she's my sister but...I mean..."

"Trust me Ron, I completely understand what you are saying...Gin got Hot!"

Ron had been waving his hands for the last few seconds and Harry hadn't realized it, "Harry got Hot too, don't you think Hermione?"

"I think he's always been hot, but at least this time he didn't come back to us as skin and bones, and with nice clothes too." The brunette replied.

Harry closed his eyes, it was no use asking the girls so he asked Ron, "What did they hear?"

Ron swallowed loudly, "Uh, just the part about her being hot, by the way I'm going to have to smack you around a bit for that comment, out of brotherly loyalty you know."

"Of course." Harry agreed. He was learning to read people better through analysis, but he'd been able to read Ron fairly well for years. Right now Ron was telling him it would be bad if Ginny knew he approved, as if it had been arranged between them. Harry let it go because, honestly he still didn't know if he even wanted that with Gin.

"It's okay Harry, it's not like we don't girl talk when you aren't aroundr. Why do you think girls always go to the bathroom together?"

Ron spoke up, "I heard it was in case there wasn't any paper in the stall, then again Seamus said..."

"I'm sure we can all imagine what Seamus would say, thank you Ron." Hermione interrupted him.

* * *

"Can I talk to you." Ginny asked shyly. It was after dinner, Ron was in the shower and Harry had already cleaned up and dressed for bed.

He sat up from where he had been laying down meditating, "Sure Gin, Ron will probably be back soon if you want to have a chat, we can wait for Hermione too if you'd like."

She shook her head and pushed the door closed behind her, "Actually...I just wanted to talk to you. I've tried talking to mum about stuff but..." She trailed off, "And Hermione has been wonderful, it's nice to have a girlfriend around...It's just...I think you might be the only one that would understand..."

He was paying attention now...though he was ashamed to admit the closing of the door might have more to do with that than the content of the message. "You can talk to me about anything Gin, you know that. You know my honesty policy."

She smiled a little, "Yeah, I agree..._I'd rather know the whole truth and deal with it than be lied to or coddled_. We didn't do much of the 'Ask me anything' in our letters but I really appreciated your honest answers. It was hard to be truthful with you when you asked me though.."

"You mean like when I asked you when you started crushing on me?"

She blushed and looked away, "Yeah...like that... So um..."

He smiled at her, "You know Ron could be back any moment."

"Yes but all summer he's been sure to be the last one to take a shower so he could take as long as he liked. At the burrow we only have the one and time is valuable. I did the same thing for a while til he convinced me he was older so should get the last one of the day. I don't mind though..."

"Gin." He said her name like a command, she was stalling.

She walked toward him nervously then started pacing in front of his bed, "Alright well...I haven't really talked to anyone about this stuff...I mean there was the mind healer they had me see after first year but I was so lost inside myself that I don't even remember what they asked or what I said back. But I really need to get this out before it drives me insane and I think you'll understand after...after..."

"After?"

She sat down on Ron's bed and looked up at him through her bangs shyly, "After you had him in your head..."

It only took a second for Harry to rule out Snape and realize she meant Voldemort. "Oh."

"Except you only had him inside you for a couple of minutes Harry...I know you have this connection with him and everything but I don't think it's the same...he didn't really possess you..."

Harry shook his head, "He tried to...and it was really hard not to just let go and let him do it, especially when I had just seen Sirius...disappear." This was getting tough for him, but he could tell he needed to give her a little in return for whatever it was she was trying to tell him. It didn't have to be equal, it just had to have meaning.

Ginny closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "When I first wrote in The Diary I thought it was a nifty bit of magic. I should have listened to Dad when he said not to trust anything if you can't see here it keeps its brains. But Tom was so nice..."

"I know Gin, he fooled me too remember?"

She nodded, "I know...that's another reason I think you will understand...and I really need to tell these things to someone...especially to you..."

That caught him off guard, "Why me?" He hated changing the subject but that seemed like a major admission on her part.

"Because I...Because you...well I mean...just let me go through it and if you don't understand you can ask me again at the end okay?" He nodded.

"I started writing in the diary, a little at first, but it sort of became addicting. Tom was so nice, and he was a boy, the first boy that wasn't my brothers that I'd actually become friends with. I think...I think I started to..." She took a stuttering breath, "I think was falling for him Harry...He was older and so wise and knew just what to say to cheer me up. He helped me through a couple of problems with my brothers. This was all before we even got to the school mind you." He nodded again.

"So our conversations started to get...flirty...I know I was only 11 but he made me feel pretty...desirable. Everything I couldn't feel when I was around you..."

"Gin you know I was just..."

She stopped him with a smile, "Harry I was 11 and you were THE Harry Potter, the one I'd had a crush on since I was 5 and mum told me stories about you every single night before I went to sleep and dreamed about you. It's not your fault I'm such a silly girl, but Tom...well...we were flirting one night and that was the first time he pulled me into the diary to show me something."

Harry didn't want to know...but the truth was important, especially from someone he might...want to date? "Okay...so uh...what did he...show you?"

She was almost as red as her hair now and the blush showed no signs of going anywhere, "He...well he showed me himself taking a shower..."

That wasn't so bad, "Oh...well I guess it was kind of like truth or dare, and we both have to remember you had no idea who he really was."

She shook her head but still looked like she was getting more nervous by the second, "So then...then he asked me if he could go into my memories...it was the first time I let him into my head."

"So...he wanted to see you in the shower?" Harry said a bit more tightly than he meant it to come out. Both out of a strange sense of jealousy at Tom being intimate with her in any way...and at the image of an 11 year old Ginny in the shower which shouldn't be turning him on...

"Yeah..so I let him see me...all of me. It was thrilling...and dirty...and hot...but I felt kind of ashamed at what my mum would think of me, or you."

Harry took a few breaths to sort his emotions, "I think it was just a bit of fun...and I-I think th-that.." He couldn't believe he was stuttering and suppressed the urge to laugh at himself in case it was taken the wrong way. He cleared his throat, "I mean I think that I would have...liked to have played that game with you...if I'd known you better...if you would have asked me to... I never got to play with anyone in my neighborhood and stuff like that doesn't happen at Hogwarts."

She was smiling a bit but still embarrassed, "I think I would have enjoyed that...but um...that's not the end of it."

He nodded for her to continue, "Well...so the next time he pulled me in...he showed me him starkers on his bed in Slytherin...wanking...and he wouldn't let me leave until I saw him...um...finish..."

Harry knew where this was going, and really didn't like it...and yet he was still getting excited by the idea...he mentally slapped himself. "So you showed him?"

She shook her head, "No...I mean I had never done that..it was something only dirty girls would do and I was raised not to be a scarlet woman. In a house with 5 brothers under the same roof I'd seen it before anyway on accident...but...he asked me to...and he was so charming Harry..."

The pause went on for almost 10 seconds before Harry realized he needed to prompt her past the parts she was too embarrassed or too ashamed to say herself, "So you did it for the first time...so you could show him?"

She nodded, "I had no clue what I was doing really, so I just laid on my bed after a shower and started fiddling with...er..." Somehow she blushed harder than before, and her face had just started to go back to a normal color too, "I touched myself and sort of pretended like I finished...but he could tell somehow when he watched me...that was the first time I blacked out."

Wow, so that was how he did it...he preyed on her sexually to get in...Harry couldn't wait to strangle the asshole even if he had no clue what that diary had done after it left his possession. "I see." Was all he could think to say.

"After I woke up, I was...naked...and sticky...down there...I hurt a little and I felt yucky...but I also could still feel the buzz in my fingertips and toes...that hint of pleasure...Then he showed me what I had done to myself...and I could feel it Harry...as if it was being done to me by someone else...even though I was watching my own fingers doing it..." She coughed and had to get a drink of water off the night stand, "I could feel those fingers, but they didn't feel like mine...they felt like his..."

"He molested you...using your own body...Gin that isn't your fault.."

She shook her head again, "That's the thing though...I didn't really feel violated, it was me doing it after all and how was I supposed to know what it felt like. It was dirty, and slutty, and something my mum would kill me if she knew about...and it felt good... I was hooked. By the time we were at Hogwarts that was how it would start...he'd take over my body and do something naughty to it, then play it back for me...and I liked it. I spent more and more time in that Diary and started losing sleep, and forgetting homework...I would let him take me over just to get that feeling... and Ron was on about me not bothering you guys even if I had wanted to tell someone..."

"I'm sorry we weren't there for you earlier Gin..." he got up and moved to Ron's bed, sitting beside her and pulling her into his side with one arm wrapped around her. "I should have realized how you felt having your family right there and none of them even talking to you."

She laid her head on his shoulder, "Well the twins were busy like always...but Ron and I used to be close...before he went to Hogwarts we would play together all summer when it was just us and mum at home. We'd have Luna over for tea and play Quidpot or boardgames...it was like he abandoned me when he left that first year. You were so kind to wave to me out of the window Harry." She turned her head up to him and smiled, "You were always my Knight in Shining Armor, even then."

Her lips were only inches from his and he was looking down into her sparkling brown eyes, it was only from this distance he could see the tears she was holding back. "I'm just Harry, Gin. I don't know how to be anyone else but I don't try to be a hero..."

That made her frown for some reason and she pulled away a bit, "But that's part of my problem too...I know logically that you are just Harry...but in my head...and in my heart, you are still THE Harry Potter...the same boy who rescued me from a massive snake with the Sword of Gryffindor and pulled me to safety on the tail of a Phoenix...still the same Harry Potter I've been in love with since I was 5 years old.."

She'd told him something similar in letters, but this was the first time in person and he wasn't sure how to respond...Ron had told him to go for it, "Gin...I don't..the stuff with the diary...if we forget it was Tom Riddle then it was just kid stuff really... Maybe it was worse than most, but if you didn't feel...violated by him..."

"At that time I didn't, but as the year went on, I'd wake up from watching what he'd done to me with my own body...to find blood on my hands...chicken feathers? I'd wake up in a hallway or on a floor far away from where I'd sat down in the first place to write. Now that I know better I do feel used...violated...molested...I feel gross like nobody should want me because He's touched me...been inside me."

The last three words almost made Harry vomit but he knew she meant possession not rape...though the argument could be made for them being related, "Gin you aren't gross by a long shot...in fact I think...you might be one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen...possibly the hottest girl at Hogwarts compared to what I remember last year."

Gin was blushing, but she was also frowning, "No, I'm disgusting Harry...I try hard to look my best so people won't see how awful I am...I'm rotten on the inside Harry..I'm not worthy of anyone's love..." Those tears were beginning to fall now.

He pulled her chin to make her look at him, "Gin...You are worthy...of any guy lucky enough to have you..including me... Would you like to go out with me?"

She shoved him away and stood up almost so fast he missed it, "NO! Harry no...I can't..I can't let you love me! After everything I just told you how could you even think about it?"

He looked up at her worriedly, "Gin you are beautiful, your funny and smart, you get me in ways that others haven't tried to...If I'm your Knight then you are my Damsel in Distress. Doesn't the Knight get the girl?"

Gin was openly crying now and shaking her head, "Not if she was eaten by the dragon and then spit out..."

Oh...the part of him that couldn't help analyzing wondered if part of her still loved the boy in the Diary...and felt used by him and thrown away. It wasn't fair to anyone else though, who the hell was the ghost of Tom Riddle to come between a girl and her girlhood crush?

"I want you Gin."

She stopped her crying and wiped the tears off her face before looking at him, "You can have me Harry...any time you want to...but don't love me, I'm not worth it."

Was she saying what he thought she was saying? "Gin...what are you talking about?"

She walked closer to him and began unbuttoning her blouse, exposing a lacy black bra, "I'm yours, any time you like...any way you like, I'm in love with you...I'll always be in love with you and I don't ever want another man to touch me...but I don't want you to love me. Use me how ever you want, I will love you with every part of my body and self and you never have to regret it, just let me stay close to you..."

She pulled his hand up and placed it onto her right breast inside her shirt but on top of the bra, Harry had a raging hard on now that was pounding in time with his heartbeat, he had a lump in his throat he couldn't quite swallow and his fingers tingled where they touched her soft flesh. Even though he felt like a complete arse, he was still a teenage boy and couldn't stop hiself from squeezing the object in his hand softly for the first time in his life. He'd dreamed about it for years but never with any specific girl...except maybe Cho...and Hermione...

He tried to pull away when the guilt got to be too much but she put a hand over his and used the other one to pull the material down to expose her breast fully beneath his hand. He could feel her nipple standing tall and firm against his palm and once she knew he wasn't going to rip his hand away she let him move it so he could see what he was holding. She had breasts that were just a little more than a handful for him, pale white with soft pink nipples that matched her lips. He traced a line around the outside of the nipple and she involuntarily arched her back and breathed in deeply.

"Oh Harry...more please?"

He didn't remove his hand, but he looked up at her until she opened her eyes, "Gin...I'm so messed up right now. I don't want to feel like a jerk for taking advantage of you...I want you to be my girlfriend before I do this stuff to you...I didn't think that would be for a long time either..."

Her response was to pull the fabric down on the other breast so the bra held both of them like a shelf. She then placed his other hand on her chest. "Harry this I what I want...I want you to want me, I need you to need me...I need you...I want you...but I don't want you to love me. I can't be your girlfriend. Even if you get another girlfriend I just want to stay close to you...if you wanted a mistress on the side I'd sleep with you and never tell a soul. I'll be your maid, I'll be your sex slave...just don't make me go away..." She started crying again at that, "Just keep me close to you please? And please don't stop touching me?"

The tears got him, so he used both hands to massage her chest, weighing each breast in his hands and massaging the soft tissue, squeezing and compressing them and enjoying the sounds she was making in response. She stepped in between his knees so that they were right at his eye level and he pulled his chin up enough to tentatively lick her left nipple. He could almost feel the goosebumps that raced down her arms and the moan she gave deep in her throat had him nearly splitting his boxers. He pulled her nipple into his mouth whole and softly sucked while making a licking motion with his tongue. She halfway collapsed onto his knees to hold herself up, and that is when she felt his problem.

"Oh Harry I'm so sorry, I should have realized...you've only been giving me pleasure!"

His eyes widened, "You have no idea how much pleasure you are giving me Gin...you're a goddess! This...is my first time touching a girl so I'm kind of lost and in awe here..."

She shook her head and trailed her fingernails up the inside of his leg leaving a trail of fire in their wake. And under the loose hem of his boxers, he tried to pull away but she wrapped an arm around his head and pushed his mouth back to her right breast as the other hand found it's mark, wrapping around his stiff pole.

"Wow...you're bigger than I thought..."

"Gin you really don't have to...shouldn't do this!"

She moved slightly so her nipple was against his lips and he couldn't help automatically pulling it into his mouth just to hear her make that sound again. The hand in his boxers began moving up and down his shaft rhythmically and between all the new sensations and memories, the smell of her excitement, the taste of her skin, the sound of her moaning in response to his actions, and the fact that he barely ever even touched himself let alone had anyone else, he came within the minute, all over her hand and the inside of his boxers. He cried out into her soft bosom and he kept cumming. He could feel her thumb running softly over the head of his cock in the slick aftermath of his ejaculation, extending the pleasure. Finally she pulled her hand from his crotch and looked at the moisture still sticking to it. She sniffed it once, then tasted one of her fingers before coughing a little.

"You're a little more sour than expected...not that I had any clue what to expect."

"You didn't have to taste it..." He said in embarrassment.

"No Harry...it tastes like you, so it's good..." The silence began to drag out a bit.

"Um... Won't Ron or Hermione...or you mum be coming soon?"

Gin shook her head but rearranged herself and began buttoning up her blouse again, "Hermione knew I needed to talk to you about some important stuff so she was keeping mum busy talking about cooking. Ron won't be done for another couple of minutes..."

"So...will you please be my girlfriend?"

She stabbed him with her eyes, "No Harry...I'm yours, but I'm not your girlfriend, you can have as many of those as you want to as long as you don't push me away. Even if you never touch me again..." That actually made her pause for a moment of thought, "Even then as long as you know I love you and you let me be your friend...and let me see you...then I'll be happy." She smiled that room brightening smile at him and made him melt. "You make me Happy Harry, just the way you are..just the way We are. This has been the best summer of my life, getting to actually be your friend and not just the tag along little sister. But I can't let you love me...that wouldn't make me happy."

"Why not?" he asked, still thoroughly confused.

"Because...because I'm...used...and because I'm still in love with Harry Potter...not just Harry..and neither of those is fair to you."

He smiled sadly at her, "Shouldn't I get to choose?"

She went to the door and opened it slightly before turning her head to him, "Nope!" She then grinned at him and walked out leaving him sitting on Ron's bed with a pillow over his lap, having not calmed down yet and not wanting to embarrass himself. It as then that Ron walked in and looked at him strangely.

"You know...if there is something going on between you two I might have to hurt you mate, at least take it to your own bed next time."

"What! Nothing! I mean there is something but I don't know what it is..how did you know?"

Ron looked at him funny, "Get off my bed and give me back my pillow...actually give me one of yours. I don't think I could sleep wondering what you've been doing to that one."


	5. Chapter 5

******Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, plot and interactions are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Hogwarts Shuffle! Chapter Five**

**08/30 - Friday**

The redheaded girl was writing on the bed, Harry felt like he was floating over top of her, watching in awe as her face twisted in grimaces of pleasure. She was trying to keep quiet so as not to wake the other girl in the room and the sheen of sweat on her forehead and chest paid testimony to how hard it was for her not to scream out in pleasure. The blanket slipped down to reveal her unbuttoned nightshirt which fell open to reveal large breasts sparkling with sweat and flushed from the heat. Her hands were between her legs, one finger sunk deep inside her and the other working furiously on a small bud of flesh near the top of her slit. The girl gasped and looked almost possessed for a moment before falling back down to the bed in a heap. She rolled over with a smile and passed out to sleep. Somewhere far away he felt his body begging him to give it release...

Warm and comfy, and soft and flowery smelling, and half naked. Harry was barely awake but on an instinctual level he knew he had a girl in his arms. He smiled and pulled her closer, causing her to sigh cutely and snuggle tighter against him. It was probably a dream anyway like the one that had woken him early in the morning, Gin had probably climbed into his bed with him wishing he would use her again. He was okay with that, sure she had some issues but deep down he was still just a warmblooded teenage boy with a half naked warmblooded girl in his arms.

His erection grew almost immediately in his boxers and he couldn't help enjoying the sensation of rubbing against her soft rear end through the material. He ran a hand up under her shirt, across her taught stomach and over her small breasts, loving the way her nipples seemed to stand at attention as he circled them. The girl moaned softly and he kissed the back of her neck.

_I have to stop now...or I won't stop...I don't know if this is a dream, but if I don't stop I don't know what will happen..._

A scream broke him from his slumbering perverted thoughts, instantly waking him and nearly forcing him from the bed. A second scream finished the job, joining the first shortly after, this one was definitely Hermione which was odd because the first one sounded like Gin. The two combined had caused him to roll off the other side of his twin bed and he stood up suddenly wondering...

"What the hell is going on?" He asked at the same time as Ginny.

He shook his head to rid himself of the instant echo, "That's what I'm asking! One second I'm cuddling the next I'm being screamed at. Would you make up your mind?"

Ginny had a look of betrayal on her face, "Harry why is _she_ in your bed? What were you doing?"

Harry looked down at his bed to find what appeared to be a 12 year old girl, stunningly cute...almost beautiful but innocent somehow. Blond flowing hair fell over the striped polo he'd discarded on the floor the night before barely concealing her lacy panties. She blinked up at him sleepily...cutely... He screamed again. "Who the hell is she! What is she doing in my bed?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow, "Obviously we thought you would know."

Ron..amazingly...finally woke up, "What's with all the screaming? Can't a bloke sleep in for once?" He looked over at Harry, squinting his eyes against the light. "Harry...I didn't know you were into little girls?"

"I'M NOT!" Harry yelled at him.

Ron rolled over away from everyone, "It's okay mate, I won't judge you. She's cute in a way-to-young for me way, get hold of them early I guess, it's like making an investment. She'll be drop dead gorgeous in four or five I bet."

"Ron!" Ginny, Hermione and Harry all yelled at once.

"What?" He said sitting up, finally completely awake. "What did I say?"

Hermione pointed at the petite girl in Harry's bed, "You said you were okay with Harry being a Pedophile!"

"Peedawhat?" Ron asked. "She looks like a firsty, who could find that attractive?"

Harry coughed nervously, thankfully unnoticed.

"Obviously you could, _make an investment_, you said." Hermione berated him.

Ginny, still looking at Harry oddly, shouted at the room, "Would you two quit bickering and focus! Who is that and why is she in Harry's bed!"

The girl in question finally spoke, quietly and with almost no emotion, directing her words at Ginny in a french accent, "You are loud."

The whole room stood stunned by her recrimination, she rubbed her eye with a fist and looked up at her bed mate, "I'm cold."

Harry found himself pulling the blanket up around her shoulders without thinking, he felt something for her...almost like she was family. He felt the need to take care of her for some reason. After the look on her face changed slightly he figured she was warm again. He looked up to find everyone staring at him. "What! She said she was cold..."

Hermione crossed the short distance to kneel down in front of the girl, "Hello, my name is Hermione Granger. And you are?"

The girl pulled away and buried her face in Harry's stomach shyly. "Hey, it's okay. Hermione is my best friend"

"Oi!" Ron exclaimed.

"One of my best friends," Harry corrected himself midstream, "Nobody here will hurt you."

The girl looked up at him with big blue eyes, her hair fell into her face and he had a flashback of a similar girl wrapped in a blanket looking up at him with something like admiration in her eyes. In the flashback he was suddenly assaulted by Fleur Delacour, kissing him over and over and thanking him for saving her...

"Gabrielle?" He asked.

The girl nodded once and turned back to look at Hermione, Harry was extremely confused but knew somehow that he was right, "Guys...this is Gabrielle Delacour...you remember from the tournament?"

Ginny huffed, "Wonderful...how did she get here and why is she in your bed?"

Just then Fleur appeared in the doorway looking flustered, she spoke rapid french to the girl and pulled her away from Harry. Gabrielle wrapped her arms around her big sister but kept looking at Harry. The champion looked up and smiled at him, "I am very sorry for mine seester, she is developing..how you say...hero worship since you are saving her from ze lake. I did not weesh you to meet again this way. Come Gabrielle, let us get you dressed for ze day, breakfast should be served soon." She pulled the girl from the room with apologetic smiles all around, taking Harry's blanket and polo with her as she left.

Silence hung in the air for a few moments before Ron spoke up, "Would you ladies please leave so I can get up? You heard the woman, breakfast!"

* * *

At breakfast Harry was still getting suspicious looks from Ginny, Hermione was still throwing stink eye in Ron's direction, and they had new guests at the table.

"Bill and Fleur showed up late last night after you had gone to bed, I thought it better to surprise you in the morning than to wake you up." Molly said with a smile.

If Gin hadn't told him all about Phlegm in their letters over the summer he could have easily deduced that she was dating Bill just by the looks they threw each other. The touches for no reason that seemed to throw sparks if their eyes were any indication. Apparently they had been off doing some work for the Order in France and when they visited Fleurs family, Gabrielle had somehow convinced them to bring her back to England.

"Don't get me wrong Billy, I'm so happy to see you again.." Ginny said throwing a sideways look at Fleur, "But tell us again why you brought Gabrielle with you?"

The girl in question was sitting at the table, eating her toast, eyes glued to Harry which both unnerved him and seemed to infuriate Ginny. "Well Gin like I told you before, she is really persuasive..."

"I wanted to see Harry." Gabrielle spoke up for the first time all morning.

Ginny succeeded in not rolling her eyes, Hermione was actually beginning to find the whole thing quite entertaining. Ginny was jealous of this porcelain doll and it was all she could do not to laugh at the situation. "Well I think it's lovely that you came all this way just to see him, it has been too many years hasn't it?" Hermione asked.

"Yes." Was all Gabrielle said before going back to her toast.

"Just what do you mean by _Persuasive_ Billy? I mean...did she use her Allure on you? What could have convinced you that having her along would be a good idea?" Gin asked again.

Bill looked at his girlfriend for half a moment before she nodded and a huge smile broke out on her face, "Well you see midget, the family thought it would be nice if I got to know my sister-in-law a little better."

"That's ridiculous dear, that would mean that you and Fleur..." Molly turned white in mid sentence. "Oh Bill you didn't!"

His eyes went wide and Harry could almost read the thoughts running through his mind before a gentle smile came across Bill's face, "Of course not Mum, I meant we are engaged. We were going to wait to tell you until Dad was here, but it just sort of worked out."

Fleur produced a ring from around her neck and slid it off the chain and onto her finger, "We are picking this one up during a particularly good expedition for ze goblins. William picks it up out of ze treasure chest and asks me to marry him. How could I say no when he is looking so handsome and rugged and covered in dust and dirt. He is mine explorer."

Bill pulled her closer with a smile, "And you're my treasure." He didn't look away from her as he continued, Gringotts overcharged me for the ring, but it was completely worth it."

A collective "Awe" went through the room except for Gin and Molly, both who were now staring daggers at the girl in Bill's arms, and Gabrielle who was silently eating her toast.

"I'm going to Hogwarts this year." Gabrielle announced into the charged atmosphere.

"Wait what?" Bill asked, "When did this happen?"

"I'm going to Hogwarts." Was her only reply.

"Non Gabrielle, you are beginning OWLs at Beauxbattons zis year. How can you say you are changing schools?" Fleur asked her.

Hermione was looking confusedly at the three of them across the table, "What do you mean starting her OWLs? She is only what...twelve years old?"

Fleur shook her head, "Non, Gabrielle has always been ze late bloomer, she is turning 15 in four months."

Ron elbowed Harry, "Wow mate, she's only a year younger than you. Guess it's not all that odd after all is it?"

"I'm not into her like that Ron! It was all a misunderstanding."

"Damn straight you aren't into her like that..I mean...um..." Ginny realized what she'd just said and sat back in her chair blushing awkwardly and awaiting the outburst, luckily Molly was too busy questioning Fleur and Bill about their engagement and wedding plans to berate her for such language.

"Don't worry Ginny, I'm sure you'll win any competition against her." Hermione said with a smile.

"What? No...it isn't like that! I mean...um..." Ginny suddenly went shy and unsure of herself.

"Alright, change of plans!" Molly announced, "I think we need to have a day out with the family, we need to sort out which school Gabrielle will be attending and if she is going to Hogwarts we will have to rush her uniform order. Oh dear we have so much to do, and a wedding to plan!"

That caught the teen's attention, "So we are heading to Diagon Alley?" Hermione asked.

Molly nodded, "I'll just have to get hold of the Headmaster and let him know about the outing."

* * *

It really wasn't much of a surprise, when Mrs. Weasley was finally able to get hold of the Headmaster he had forbidden Harry leaving the house. Something about the political atmosphere not allowing it, he tried to convince the woman not to leave the house either but Molly was set in her course. As a surprise Ginny announced she would be staying behind with Harry and as a bigger surprise, her mother _almost_ winked when she said that would be fine. Honestly though, Harry hadn't been cooped up all summer like normal so he didn't mind staying in for a change and having Gin here might be...interesting, to say the least.

Ron and Hermione gave what seemed like a thousand apologies but apparently they had seen less of the outside world this summer than Harry had, so he didn't begrudge them a day out. From the bickering that was still going on thanks to earlier events Harry could only hope they both made it back in one piece.

It was almost lunchtime when the group finally gathered around the fireplace and disappeared one at a time into the floo. Harry was suddenly nervous to have the house and his...friend all to himself. He half expected her to pounce on him the moment they were alone, instead she offered to make him lunch.

"I can't make much yet, but I've been learning all I can from mum..."

Harry waved off her concerns, "If you'd like I can make lunch for us."

"No!" She suddenly burst out catching him off guard, she collected herself and tried again, "I mean no, that's okay Harry." She smiled at him, lighting up the room, "I want to cook for you, you have done so much for me, the least I can do is take care of you."

She disappeared into the kitchen, forcing him to relax in the parlor. So he grabbed one of his psych texts and relaxed on the couch, taking in the various mental illnesses and their likely causes. The human mind was a fascinating thing when you thought about it, and it was amazing the ways that experience could shape someones psyche and world view.

Twenty minutes later she called him in to the kitchen where she had laid out a small but impressive meal. Chicken over rice with a brown sauce of some sort, croissant rolls and butter, and orange juice. "Wow Gin...this looks great, I thought you said you weren't very good yet?"

The girl blushed slightly under his praise and pulled out a chair for him, "Well, I told mum I wanted to know how to cook. She's always tried to make me into a perfect housewife but I always found ways of getting out of the work. I was Daddy's little princess, not little miss homemaker. But this summer I decided what I wanted to do with my life and I think mum figured me out. She was happy to start teaching me and apparently I have a talent for it.."

He waited for her to sit down on the other side of the small table and took a bite as she watched, the chicken was slightly overdone but the sauce was just the right amount of salty to help it all to come together once you began to chew. The rice was a bit under done but over all it was better than most of what his Aunt made, which was basically pan fried everything for Vernon and Dudley. "This is a really good start then Gin, thank you. You don't have to cook for me or anything though, you know that."

She smiled and took a drink of her juice, making a bit of a face at the citrus bite but managing to keep it down all the same. "I don't know...you saved my life Harry...and even after I told you about all the horrible things I've done you are still my friend. You don't know how much you mean to me..."

He reached out to grab her hand but she pulled it away, "But I do know Gin, you told me you are in love with me. I don't understand everything about why you won't let me love you back...I don't even know if I can help myself."

She looked suddenly alarmed, "But you can't! Please Harry... just let me be with you, but don't love me. I'm afraid..." She looked away and took a breath, possibly to keep the tears from falling, "I want you to want me, but...if you want Gabrielle...I'd be o-okay with that." She stuttered out.

"What?" He asked, caught off guard. "No! I swear that was a complete misunderstanding..she's cute but honestly...I didn't even think about girls this year. Not after finding out about the prophecy."

The girl shook her head, "If anything that just means you shouldn't hold yourself back...you could have any girl you wanted. You know that right? They all talk about you."

He narrowed his eyes, "And what do most of them say Gin?" he adopted a girly tone, "Oh look at Harry Potter, he's famous you know. And I hear he has lots of money. Oh yes, he's definitely the most eligible bachelor at school." He waved it off, "I don't want anyone who thinks of me that way, I just want a girl who loves me for who I am...but it's way too dangerous to even think about falling in love anyway. Voldemort would just use her against me."

Ginny was looking down, "But don't you see Harry? I'm just like those other girls...I love you, but I still think of you as famous, rich, handsome Harry Potter...and I'm not good enough to have you all to myself anyway. If you want another girl I won't get in your way...just...just let me have you sometimes...be close to you..."

"Gin, you are asking me to cheat on another girl I might fall in love with...I don't think I could do that."

She shook her head again, "No, I don't want you to cheat on them...I know you wouldn't do that, you are too noble. But if you are just dating then you can say it's not serious...so I can still touch you sometimes...help you feel better... I don't care if I can't have you that way, I'm sorry! I don't mean I want you to cheat on someone!"

Harry smiled, she was freaking him out a little bit...she was obviously infatuated with him, it was almost stalker like...but he liked it in a very sadistic and unhealthy way. "Well I don't plan on dating anyone so I guess that won't be a problem. But I think you are lying when you say you wouldn't be jealous, I saw the way you looked at Gabrielle today."

Ginny looked away and spoke quietly, "I'm sorry, I don't know where that came from...it was like this monster in my chest was shouting things...but really Harry, it's okay... I won't be jealous if you don't want me to, I shouldn't be anyway since I know I can't have you."

Harry wanted to argue with her, tell her she could have him, but two things kept him from saying it out loud. First was that she was obviously a bit mental, and even though he felt things for her he couldn't quite identify...he wasn't sure if loving her was a good idea. The other was that he HAD felt something for the underdeveloped Gabrielle before he knew she was almost the same age as Ginny, and that meant he had some mental issues of his own...maybe Ron wasn't so far off. "Okay..." was all he could get out.

They finished the meal in silence and he watched as she gathered the dishes and began washing them, she looked for all the world like a perfect little housewife, if only he didn't recognize the possibly psychotic tendencies running just below the surface. It was all Voldemort's fault, and Harry silently vowed to make him pay. Maybe once Voldemort was gone he and Gin could try something for real. But until that weight was lifted from both of their shoulders it was probably best to avoid romantic entanglement.

Sometimes analyzing yourself and your friends sucked, he had been looking forward to playing truth or dare with her today. Now he wasn't sure he could bring himself to do it, it was too much like taking advantage of her.

The rest of the day went rather oddly, because they were so bored, he and Gin decided to do some cleaning. It didn't last very long before they decided to try playing a board game instead, when that got old they decided to sit in the parlor and listen to the wireless. The whole time there was some sort of unspoken thing hanging in the air between them. Harry had read about the "elephant in the room", the one that everyone knows is sitting there but everyone avoids talking about. Gin waited on him hand and foot, and when he tried to protest she shook away his concerns telling him she really enjoyed doing things for him. Getting him a drink when he was thirsty, doing his laundry which had piled up at the foot of the bed.

Now they were on the sofa in the parlor, music on in the background, at opposite ends of the furniture. Ginny had her feet up on the cushion, knees up to her chest, and he couldn't help but notice that she was wearing a skirt and her pink panties were playing peek-a-boo every time she changed positions a little. Finally he'd had enough of feeling nervous and awkward, and grabbed one of her feet, pulling it onto his lap.

"What are you doing?" She asked him in surprise.

"Giving you a foot rub."

She shook her head, "No, don't do that, let me give you one instead."

He smiled and held firmly to her foot so she couldn't take it away, "Maybe touching you is what I want right now, don't you want me to have what I want?"

She froze for a moment thinking, then relaxed and nodded her head though he could feel the nerves bunching in her leg and foot. That wouldn't do, so he began massaging her foot at the toes, working his way down to her arch and back up. He got a pleasant moan from her for his trouble though she tried to keep it quiet. After a few minutes of this he began working his way slowly up her calf to her knee and back down. For some reason this was turning him on, granted...she'd had her hand in his pants...he'd both seen and handled her breasts...but all this touching was so..intimate. He had to adjust his legs to make his throbbing erection more comfortable without letting her notice.

He switched to her other foot now, repeating the pattern up to her knee and back down. He surreptitiously positioned her other foot so that her knees were now slightly apart letting him see up her skirt. On the next pass of that leg he went past her knee to her thigh getting a slight jerk in response from her before she closed her eyes and laid her head back, opening her legs further as if she'd just figured out what he was doing. He worked his fingers into her muscles until they started to relax completely, running his palms up the inside of her thigh, all the while pretending he wasn't getting ever closer to his prize.

He switched legs again, this time massaging all the way up to her panty line, amazed that his fingers were running along that seam where her leg met her crotch...as he ran a finger down that line he felt a few stray hairs sticking out from beneath the cotton material and that was nearly enough to make him explode in his pants. Feeling bold now, and knowing the girl would let him do whatever he wanted to her, he ran his palm up onto her panties and pressed his palm against the extremely warm tissue beneath, the girl moaned softly, not even bothering to hide it this time. He turned his hand over and ran the back of his middle finger down her slit to the moist spot that had appeared.

"I think you're getting off." He said quietly.

Her legs slammed closed over his hand, "No...no...please, don't look at that...its dirty..."

He pushed slightly and she relented opening her knees up again but her eyes were wide and scared now, "Maybe I like that you're dirty." He said in a voice he almost didn't recognize as his own. "I want to see more."

She opened her legs wider even though he could feel her shaking, "O-okay..." She whispered, "You can look...all you want to."

Finally, something was feeling right again between them, they both wanted this right now despite whatever else was going on between them. He bit his lip nervously and he ran a finger up to the top of her thigh and hooked it beneath the fabric of her panties..he could feel the soft patch of hair against his skin, slowly he slid it down until the tip of his middle finger was touching her moist slit, he followed the slit down until he encountered her extremely wet entrance and she was shaking almost uncontrollably from the anticipation. He screwed up his courage and pulled the material up away from her nether regions and began to slowly push it too the side, catching site of the fine red hairs he had only felt up to this point, just a little further and he would see her most intimate place for the first time.

The fire flared to life on the other side of the room and Harry instantly withdrew his hand in a panic before Ron tumbled out of the fireplace, Hermione was through before Ginny had regained her senses enough to close her legs. Gabrielle, Fleur, Bill and Molly followed quickly after that with the young girl sitting on the couch between Harry and Ginny and laying her head on his shoulder.

"Hello Harry." She said with no emotion, "I'm sorry I interrupted."

"What?" He asked nervously, "You didn't interrupt anything!"

Mr Weasley was the last one through the fire place, rolling neatly out of it and standing up with a grin. "Harry! How wonderful to see you! Did you hear the good news? My son is getting married!"

* * *

Somehow after Dinner, Harry and Hermione ended up with Fleur alone in the parlor, Ginny was helping to tidy up the kitchen with her mum and Bill had gone out on Order business of one sort of another. Gabrielle across the hall in the dining room writing in a notebook with cats on the cover, Ron watching over her in boredom by request of Harry and Hermione. The more time Harry spent around Gabrielle the stranger she became. She was so incredibly cute and doll like, but she also seemed to have almost no personality and never seemed to speak unless spoken to first. Hermione had asked him not long after they got back from Diagon whether she had some sort of mental disorder.

He'd skimmed through his recent memory for anything he might have read and the closest he could come to fitting her symptoms was mild autism of some sort, possibly Aspergers syndrome. But she didn't exhibit the typical behaviors for anything and had the underlying issues of many things. It was Harry's informed guess that it was simply that she was shy, or possibly something had happened in her past that was keeping her emotions bottled up. In either case it was just a bit creepy, the only thing that she had going for her was the power of cute to the tenth power but that was apparently more than enough, despite the apparent problems with getting to know her Gabrielle and Hermione had hit it off rather well during their outing and she clung to the brunette almost as much as she did Harry.

"So has Gabrielle always been so quiet? I don't remember much about her from the tournament." Harry asked his fellow Champion.

The blond shook her head, the small movement momentarily dazzled his senses before he was able to shake off the effects of her allure, Harry having just awoken to the delights of the opposite sex was suddenly much more aware of the affect Fleur had on a man without even trying. He wondered for a moment or two whether that was why he had such mixed feelings toward Gabrielle. He was so caught up in his thoughts he almost missed what she was saying.

"Non, mine seester has always been quiet...as long as I can remember, but in ze last couple of years she has become more withdrawn. I am wondering at first if she is coming into her Veela heritage and it is making her self conscious what with ze boys and some girls throwing themselves at her. But eet is a strange thing, she is not displaying any hint of being Veela. She is very smart but she does not speak much, and while she is fairly good at magic, she is not very powerful. Zis is why I am surprised she is wanting to go to your Hogwarts zis year."

Hermione spoke up, "Hogwarts is the premier place of Magical Learning in Europe, I can assure you she will be handled with care and her needs met."

Harry shook his head at Hermione's blind faith, he wasn't so sure it was a good idea to put a girl like Gabby into a school where his life was threatened on at least a yearly basis, "I don't know, it sounds like her Professors at Beauxbattons already have a handle on her abilities and limitations, can you imagine what Snape might do to her in his classes?"

Hermione gasped and went quiet and Fleur's eyes bugged out a bit...in the most beautiful way possible to do so, "Oui I am remember this awful Professor Snape, he is...greasy bastard..non?"

That caused Hermione to scowl and Harry to laugh loudly, "You got him in one, absolutely dead on description."

"Harry really, you shouldn't condone such about a Professor." Hermione's tone was stern but he could see the smile at the corner of her lips.

He decided to get back onto the subject, "In any case, I'm still a bit worried about Gabrielle aside from attending our school. Did something happen in the past that made her close herself off like this?"

"Non Harry, she ees being always quiet except when she is singing, she loves to sing. She and I are very close, more so than even maman or papa. Zis is why she is being my most precious thing, and why I am so relieved when you saved her from ze lake. I still cannot thank you enough Harry, a leetle boy no longer though, non?"

Hermione grinned at the girl, "Oh I definitely agree he is not so little any longer."

"Hey I'm right here you know." Harry said both defensively and out of embarrassment.

"You two are steel the item, no? It is in ze papers during ze tournament."

"Oh no! That was all made up to sell papers," Hermione said.

"No we could never date, she's almost like a sister to me" Harry said.

Hermione tossed him a hurt look, "Honestly Harry...you really need to learn not to say such things..."

Fleur looked back and forth between them for a few moments before laughing lightly, "You do realize you act like ze old married couple sometimes no? It really is no wonder so many people are thinking you should be together."

Hermione blushed slightly while Harry...well Harry was keeping his mouth firmly shut to keep his foot out of it, "Don't let Ginny hear you say that." The girl said with a smile.

"Hear you say what Hermione?" Ginny asked as she walked into the room.

"Nothing!" Harry and Hermione said at the same time earning a laugh from Fleur and an odd look from Ginny.

This caused Fleur to laugh even harder, "Oh Harry, I pity you these two fighting over you. And now my sister sneaking into your bed, though I cannot blame her, I have my William but if you were a few years older I would be in line as well."

"It's not like that at all, we're just friends..." Ginny said with almost no passion.

Hermione followed her almost right away, "Nothing could happen between Harry and I, we're too good of friends to ruin anything with a romantic relationship."

Then Ginny's eyes narrowed as she seemed to understand what Fleur had said last, "And you better not let my brother hear you talk like that about another man."

The fire flared in mid sentence and Bill stepped neatly through the flames and was dusting himself off as he asked her, "Hear her speak like which about whom?"

Fleur placed a hand over her head for him to grab which he did and kissed it sweetly, "I was just saying 'ow if Harry were older you might have competition. I don't know though, perhaps even as young as he is I could give him a try?"

Bill grinned at her, "As long as you remember that talk we had about Angelique the other night." he kissed her on the cheek and pulled her to her feet as he walked around the couch then pulled her into his arms.

She smiled at him, "Non, Angelique can wait for my leftovers. Once I have broken you zen maybe she can handle you, before zat happen however I think you will break her in half."

Bill smiled and kissed her then turned his attention to Harry for a moment, "You know Harry, you're looking a lot more healthy than I remember from the World Cup, but I still don't think you could handle a Veela. Tell you what, I'll save you the trouble for now."

Harry..was almost completely speechless. He couldn't tell if they were joking or not and that scared him in a very odd...tingly way. "Thanks?" he asked, his voice cracking embarrassingly.

Bill grinned, "Anytime old boy, but I think if you are dating my sister it might be just a bit twisted to be into her future sister-in-law don't you think? Maybe this is a bad idea after all."

"But we aren't dating...it's not like that." Ginny said a bit glumly...not even realizing what she was giving Harry permission to do...unless it was a joke...and actually, Harry wondered if she DID realize what she was saying..she had told him to date other girls...

Bill was flustered for a few seconds trying to puzzle out the same thing as Harry and the two shared a look of confusion which Bill quickly replaced with a grin, "Well then, give me a couple of years to get bored with her and you can have a turn. Sound like a plan?"

"Um..." Harry really had no clue how to respond to the entire line of thought.

"William you are being mean, stop teasing ze poor boy with my body. I am perfectly capable of doing this if I choose to do so. Gabrielle would be most upset with me if I did."

Bill smiled at the now thoroughly confused group of teens and pulled Fleur into his arms before hoisting her over his shoulder. "Right then, nothing more to do here. Sorry chaps but I'm going to have to steal my fiance for a few hours. You understand I'm sure, just uh...keep mum away from the second floor for a while right?"

With that he carried a laughing and grinning Fleur down the hall and up the stairs, the sounds of her giggling cut off abruptly as he apparently put up a silencing charm.

"That was...odd." Hermione said still processing the chain of events. Ron happened to walk in with Gabrielle at just about that moment. Fleur leaving was his clue that he was done babysitting.

"What's odd?" He asked the room, funny enough not a single person was willing to tell him what Bill and Fleur may or may not have just offered...

"Bill was just joking around and Fleur read him like a book and played along, it's nothing to concern yourself with." Hermione finally explained. "Meanwhile I had almost forgotten, Harry can you get me the plastic shopping bag on the chair over there?"

Harry shook off the earlier conversation and did as requested, he could tell from the shape and weight that it was full of newspapers but it was obviously Muggle. Hermione pulled the papers out one at a time and placed them on the table in front of the couch while everyone else found seats. "While we were in Diagon I popped out to London and bought one of each paper at the stand. I was hoping to find more news about this God's and Devils thing."

"Right, you know I had almost forgotten about that?" Harry asked.

She nodded, "So had I and it scared me, I don't want to be blindsided by crusades and witch trials because some people decided that magic should be declassified. But here's the funny thing," She opened up the papers and flipped through them one at a time quickly, "There isn't a single mention of it anywhere in these papers. Nothing about Japan, nothing about the religious uproar or the end times," She grabbed two magazines, "Not even in these gossip rags, and the front page story on this one is about Batboy being abducted by aliens and impregnated. I kid you not, it is as if the memory of the whole thing has been wiped from everyone's minds."

"Well, that's a good thing then right?" Ron said, "I mean, if they don't remember then they won't be coming after us or anything."

"Yes Ron, but WHY don't they remember anything?" Ginny asked as she leafed through the Batboy magazine, "Is this for real?"

Hermione shook her head, "No, that magazine is famous for its outrageous stories, I figured that even if the mainstream media were no longer covering the Gods and Devils fraud, that this one would have at least one story. But there was nothing, and Ginny brings up my point. Why don't the Muggles remember what is possibly the most amazing event in their history, or at least the biggest fraud perpetrated on the world in a very long time?"

Harry thought about it for a bit and what seemed like the least obvious but simplest answer was what he went with, "Sounds like their memories were erased."

Everyone thought about that in silence for a few seconds before Ron spoke again, "But...if they erased everyone's memory, then why do we remember?"

"Maybe it only affected Muggles?" Ginny asked.

Gabrielle spoke up out of nowhere, reminding them she was even in the room, "Only mortals were affected, people with magic weren't."

Harry turned to her and offered her a hand, she took it and he pulled her gently into the circle, "That's as good an idea as any Gabrielle."

"Gabby." The girl said tonelessly.

Harry took a moment to process then smiled, "Okay, you want me to call you Gabby?" She nodded, "Gabby it is then. So as I was saying, that is a good idea Gabby. It fits the facts at least."

Hermione picked the conversation back up after noting the jealous look in Ginny's eyes and Harry hadn't dropped Gabrielle's hand yet. "Alright, so if we assume that only Muggles were affected..."

"It was only Muggles." Gabby said matter-of-factly.

The bookworm didn't like being interrupted, but she knew the girl had at least minor mental issues so she let it slide, "Very well, only Muggles were affected, the question is Why?"

Everyone remained quiet for over a minute before Harry rolled his eyes and spoke up, "Because obviously someone in the Magical World convinced the Gods and Devils that it was a bad idea for the world to know about magic."

"That's assuming they have enough power to wipe the minds of millions of people at once." Ron said quietly.

Harry shrugged, "This Eustus guy claimed to be THE GOD, not just A god but the Almighty Creator, or at least the person currently holding the throne that holds those titles. I'm guessing that THE GOD would have that kind of power."

Gabby nodded in agreement.

"If that's true...these people are downright scary mate." Ron said, a shiver running down his back as he finished. "Put's You-Know-Who to shame doesn't it?"

"Who?" Gabby asked.

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." Hermione answered her.

Ron spoke next, "You-Know-Who."

"Tom Riddle Jr," Ginny said quietly.

Harry smiled at the girl, "Also known as Lord Voldemort...or I'm partial to Minister Fudge's version Lord Thingy."

Gabrielle nodded at this, "Oh, you mean the one that wants to kill you." She said it so dryly that the lack of emotion in her voice almost carried over into lack of emotion at the thought that the psycho wanted him dead.

"Yes, that's him."

"Okay." Gabby said before she went quiet again.

"We are getting off topic here," Hermione stated, drawing the attention of the room back to herself.

"Yes Hermione, we get it. I'm guessing this has something to do with the goings on at Hogwarts this year, it would be just my luck."

Ginny looked at him strangely, "What do you mean Harry?"

He shrugged, "Either people in this house, or English Wizards, or the entire Wizarding World didn't have their minds erased while the rest of the world did. The only man who could affect all three groups of people is Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, or Leader of the Order of the Phoenix."

"Dumbledore?" Ron asked.

"Dumbledore," Harry agreed, "I've learned not to trust coincidence where Dumbledore and my life are concerned, so I'm betting that something to do with Gods and Devils is happening this year at Hogwarts, that it is what was able to convince this Professor Slughorn to come out of retirement, and that somehow I'll end up in the middle of it all."

"I think that is quite the mental leap to take Harry, you are putting disparate facts together in a way that fits your preconceived notions." Hermione stated.

"Are you saying I'm delusional?" He asked her playfully.

"No no, just grasping at straws and rather unscientific."

"Time for bed." Gabrielle announced quietly.

Ginny looked up at the clock on the mantle, "Not really, we've got a good fifteen minutes before mum will bustle us off to..."

She was interrupted as Molly walked in with a smile, "Alright, off to bed with you. Don't forget to wash up first, I'll be checking on you in quarter hour intervals so no snooping."

"Order meeting tonight eh?" Harry asked Ron as they stood up.

Molly scowled, "You don't need to speculate on such things, just upstairs with the lot of you and I'll be by to make sure you are all tucked in," Molly eyeballed Gabrielle, "to your _own_ beds."

Ginny and Hermione both said "Awe..." at the same time getting a strange look from the older woman, she looked back and forth between them then at Harry and Ron, the latter looking rather confused why she would be looking at him at all.

"Yes well...we will be sleeping in our own beds thank you very much. Now off with you."


	6. Chapter 6

******Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, plot and interactions are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Hogwarts Shuffle! Chapter Six**

**08/31 - Saturday**

Harry had woken up to a splitting headache and nothing Ginny tried could get rid of it, in fact it was now almost lunch time and he was beginning to think the headache got better when Ginny left the room. He wondered if it was a guilty conscience on his part manifesting itself physically or something about the girl in question. Either way he didn't think he could take much more of it, the last time his head hurt like this was when he faced Voldemort at the ministry, but he hadn't had one of those types of visions or dreams in months and he couldn't explain where this was coming from.

To make matters worse, Gabrielle was leaning on his shoulder as he sat on the couch with his hand over his eyes and holding his head. Her presence was soothing in a strange way, possibly because she was always so calm. That was the right word for it, what he had mistaken for a lack of emotion at first was actually a supreme sense of calm about the girl, and right now it seemed to be helping to fight back the torrent in his head.

"Harry, I brought you some tea and mum told me I should try mixing you up a headache potion. Apparently she had migraines with every pregnancy and thinks that's what you are having..." Ginny was beside herself with worry, if he were able to care he would have noticed the tears at the corners of her eyes.

But he couldn't bring himself to care through the pain, "Yes please, anything just go away...you're only making it worse!"

The poor girl nearly dropped the tea as she was setting it down, the tears finally starting to fall as she fled the room. The pain in his head lessened once more and he sighed in relief, but it was short lived. He had lived with plenty of attacks behind his scar before, but this was the first time it felt like his scar was trying to pull itself out of his forehead and take half his skull with it. He closed his eyes and laid his head back against the couch. Then he felt two small hands rubbing his temples, "Gabby?"

"Hush." Was all the girl said, continuing to make small circles with her fingers. It was like somebody had thrown a switch in his head, that calm he had just been thinking about seemed to seep out of her fingertips and into his brain in the same way ice melts leaving soothing rivulets along his neural pathways.

"What is that you're doing? It's wonderful." He said quietly.

The girl responded, "The doctors made my head hurt, Big Sis made it better."

"The doctors? Are you sure you didn't go because your head hurt?"

The girl's response was to shrug her shoulders and continue the ministrations, as Harry relaxed he could have sworn she began humming...singing under her breath. Her voice was just as soothing as her fingers, melodious and haunting, in no time at all he fell asleep.

* * *

"You know that was the pain talking, right?" Hermione asked.

Ginny nodded slowly, "I know..I'm fine now, Gabby seems to have a calming effect on him...I couldn't help him...so..."

Hermione sighed internally, something had been off about her friend for a few days it seemed, her mood swings were getting worse, "So nothing, Harry isn't the cheating type, I think. He didn't mean what he said."

Ginny raised an eyebrow at her friend as she put the dry laundry into the basket and began the trek up to her room, "What do you mean cheat? We aren't seeing each other...it isn't like that. Besides, I think I'd let him if he wanted to...if we were going out, but we aren't."

"Is everything alright Ginny? You've seemed distracted lately...well more so than normal."

She smiled at the girl as she rounded the top of the stairs, "I've just had a lot on my mind this summer, I've told you that. But don't worry, I finally figured out how to make it better, really. It's all coming together nicely...except for one thing but it will be okay. Everything is okay."

As they entered their room she sat the laundry on the bed and sat down, "Harry has been through so much in the past few months, what with You-Know-Who in his head and losing Sirius. It's a wonder he hasn't had more episodes being back in this house. I'll be fine, really, I know you want to sit with him though."

Hermione nodded skeptically, "If you're sure...I know he'll be ever so sorry once he wakes."

The red head put on a happy face, "No worries Hermione, go on. I'm just going to finish this up, it's the least I can do for him."

Hermione departed the room silently in contemplation, leaving Ginny to her own thoughts.

She had only spent the first half hour crying, that was all she allowed herself. She had been numb to most things the summer after her first year, barely able to listen to; let alone answer the questions posed by her mind healer. The only thing that had made it through the haze was the question, "How do you feel about owing a life debt to Harry Potter?"

Life Debts were mostly an old wives tail the Wizarding World told, a code of honor, a superstition. There were no documented cases of one ever being enforced or the actual effects of not honoring one. When people died suddenly after denying a request it was chalked up to the Debt but there was no way to tell what actually happened, it was the magical equivalent of dying of a broken heart. Real or not, the idea lodged itself firmly in her head and she had been trying to figure out how to serve Harry ever since. Unfortunately he had Ron and Hermione at his side at almost all times, anything he needed they seemed capable of providing. He didn't seem to need much most of the time, he had an amazing ability to look out for himself. She'd felt empty her entire second year and she had faded into the background while the trio had figured out Sirius was innocent.

Worse, she was obsessed with sex. Almost every night, and usually at least once during the day, she had to find somewhere to get herself off. There was a hole inside her where Harry should be, and the only way she could fill it temporarily was to touch herself. It was never good enough though...she couldn't make herself orgasm...not after Tom died. She was embarrassed to talk to anyone about her problems, it was so personal...but she had forever to think about the why's of her situation. She had her own theories about why she needed to touch herself, and why she could never push herself over the edge. She knew she was messed up inside and who was to blame...Ginny Weasley.

She dumped her laundry basket out on the bed and began folding Harry's new clothes. He had all but kicked her out of the room because of his headache...her heart had felt like it was ripped from her chest when he had blamed her for the headache. She didn't know what she could have done, but she knew he was probably right. She couldn't seem to do anything correctly.

She was the one that wrote in the diary, she was the one that let Tom do those things to her, let him have her body because she loved the way he made her feel. He was awful for how he used her, but she let him..and now she was dirty, used, and unable to even make herself feel the way he had. Her third year she'd spent nearly every night crying over her Harry being stuck in that stupid tournament and she had absolutely no way to help him. She would have thrown herself in front of that dragon if it would have helped...and when Hermione and Ron had come out of the lake she knew she would never be the thing that Harry missed the most...she had contemplated jumping from the Astronomy Tower one night...even stood at the edge and looked down at her chosen fate, but something had held her back.

The life debt.

She couldn't kill herself, then she would never be able to repay him. She had decided that night to do whatever it took to get closer to Harry. If she could join the group, be like Hermione and her brother, then she might get a chance to be useful to him. She had abandoned romantic thoughts..it was too selfish..if he wanted her she would give herself to him but she didn't want him to give himself to her, it would ruin the balance. She was in love with a man she could never let love her back, but she was okay with it, whatever Harry wanted from her she would give him.

Her chance came with the DA in fourth year, finally she had a chance to help him, even knowing she might die she was ready to stand by him at the Ministry that night. She thought maybe she had been important to the battle, but as usual Harry had found his way through all by himself in the end. Then that summer she had seen the way that Hermione and Ron had accepted the Headmaster's admonition not to write to Harry over the summer. Harry had just lost Sirius, it was beyond cruel to send him back to his relatives for the whole summer without even a mind healer to help him sort things out...but she knew mind healers were overrated from her own experience. Harry would have been more annoyed than thankful for the thought.

So she took a chance and sent him a letter, she just wanted to let him know she was thinking about him, that she was there for him. His letters in return had been short and to the point at first, but gradually he had opened up to her. Suddenly she was the only person he could talk to, and a light came on inside her in that dark place where Tom had been. She was as surprised as anyone when they became close friends through their letters, and learned about his new fascination with psychology. His talking to her about other people's quirks and why they did the things they did made her reexamine herself. Everything she had told Harry when he showed up at Grimmauld Place she had figured out that summer. Knowing her issues didn't help resolve them though, just helped her face them. Knowing herself better only steeled her resolve. She wasn't worth loving, but she would learn everything she could to serve him like a house elf, and if he wanted more she would let him have it any time he wanted. But the balance was so far off that she could never accept his love in return, she couldn't live with herself if he made her happy, the point was to make him happy.

Then he touched her...and it was everything Tom could never be. She hated herself for letting him make her happy but his hands on her...touching her...she had to stop him before she got off just from playing with her breasts. Making him cum had been so much better, it made her feel good but it made him feel better. She wanted him so badly though...

She shook her head and went back to folding his clothes, he didn't have to know everything she did for him, that would be selfish. She didn't need his approval, she just needed to so something to help him. She noticed the tears dripping onto his striped polo...the one that Gabby had been wearing...and the sadness was quickly replaced with rage. She put her hand up to her chest and grasped her necklace tightly as the feeling of rage and jealousy washed over her. That little girl was coming between them, she would ruin everything...Hermione she could accept, she'd accepted that she'd be in his life a long time ago, but this new girl had been in his bed...and she'd seen where his hands were before he woke up to her screaming. She tried desperately to push the feelings away, she had promised Harry she wouldn't be jealous...maybe she could learn to be bisexual like the girls in the Muggle magazine her brother didn't know she'd found. It might not be so bad if Harry were there...and the girl was extremely cute, and the same age she was even if she didn't look it.

The feelings of rage and jealousy and...something else familiar...welled up inside her and she soon found her hand inside her panties. It was odd the things that turned her on in the last couple of days, she thought about Harry with the little Veela...his beautiful cock being shoved into her tiny hole...it made her so angry...jealous...but so randy!

She pulled the hand from beneath her skirt and locked her bedroom door before throwing herself onto the bed. She gripped the necklace in one hand while the other began working her sex furiously, there was no buildup, this was fast and dirty and angry... And amazing...it reminded her of what Tom had done to her...and in a sick way she relished in it. She plunged her fingers into herself, loving the pain as her fingernails sliced into her tender flesh...first one then two fingers then three, she let go of the necklace and used the other hand on her most sensitive spot roughly, pushing herself over the edge. She turned her head and screamed into the pile of neatly folded laundry imagining Harry exploding all over the tiny french girl as he pulled out of that tight wet little hole.

As she lay there panting from her exertion she wondered at the sudden change in her libido...maybe she was a bit gay after all...would Harry like that? She reached up to brush her hair from her face and found tears streaming from her eyes...

Why was she crying?

* * *

Harry woke up several hours later, head clear for the first time all day. Somehow he had shifted, or possibly been shifted into a laying position on the couch. There was a comfortable weight on his body and he looked down to find Gabrielle sleeping on his chest with a blanket over the both of them. He smiled at how cute she looked, and even though his right arm was asleep he didn't want to move and chance waking the girl up.

"Finally awake I see?" Hermione asked from the corner chair where she had one of his Psyche texts on her lap.

He whispered back, "Yeah...headache's gone too. How long have I been out?"

The girl closed the book and sat up, "You missed lunch and dinner but after seeing how much pain you were in this morning nobody wanted to wake you. Somehow Bill convinced Mrs. Weasley to let Gabrielle stay there with you as well since she was the only one that seemed able to help you. She was almost as sick with worry as Ginny..."

"Oh bugger...how is Ginny? I said some awful things to her didn't I?" he whispered.

"She knows it was the pain talking Harry, though she keeps repeating something to herself about it being nothing compared to what she's done. To be honest I've been almost as worried about her as I have you. She seemed to be doing fine...better than fine actually. For a few hours yesterday I could have sworn the two of you had finally gotten together...but she denies it up and down. Would you like to clue a girl in?"

He fought away the urge to shrug lest he wake Gabby up, "She...That is we...well no she, doesn't want to date me...say's she isn't good enough for me. I don't know Hermione, I like her a lot...definitely more than I would have thought last fall...but she's got issues that she needs to work out and I can respect that. Lord knows issues is one thing I already have plenty of myself."

Hermione smiled, "Well I think you two are cute together, but I'll agree after spending the summer with her...the girl has a few problems. Namely she can't stop thinking of you as The Harry Potter...I mean, I had read about you of course, but I was never in awe of you like most of the Wizarding world appears to be. You've always been 'Just Harry' to me."

Harry nodded, "That's what I'm looking for in the end, somebody who recognizes that I'm nothing special, I'm just Harry."

Hermione shook her head, "I never said you weren't special, you're brave and kind and you have this saving people thing...or maybe its more of a helping people thing...it makes you who you are, and who Harry Potter is, the real Harry Potter, is a hero and a wonderful person. Gin doesn't understand that her image of you as a white knight isn't all that far off from reality."

Harry was blushing now, whether Hermione had intended to or not she'd embarrassed him with her words, "Stop it, if anyone is amazing it's you. Everyone says so, I wouldn't be anything if I didn't have you there to pull my arse out of the fire."

She smiled, "Except for Quidditch, you have to admit I'm pants on a broom so that is all you."

"Fine, I'm a superstar Seeker. The rest is all dumb luck."

"I can agree to that then." Hermione said with a nod. "So, you missed dinner but we kept some out for you under a heating spell on the table. There is some for Gabby as well since we couldn't get her to budge earlier."

"I'm hungry" The muffled voice of the girl in question seemed to echo through his chest.

Harry smiled, "Well I guess that answers that question."

**Authors Note: For those who didn't see my addition to earlier chapters please note, for the purposes of this story Ginny Weasley is being played by Karen Gillan better known as Amy Pond from Dr Who. She's definitely worth a lookup.**

**Part two of the A/N, please forgive the short chapter...but I needed to get from point A to point B and all that. Next chapter is Hogwarts!**


	7. Chapter 7

******Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, plot and interactions are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Hogwarts Shuffle! Chapter Seven**

**09/01 - Sunday**

"Mate have you seen my Charms text?" Ron asked hurriedly as he slid into the parlor.

Hermione sighed as she sat atop her trunk with a few other bags and Crookshanks' cat carrier at her feet, "Honestly Ron, you've had all summer to get ready and how did you lose your Charms book when you haven't even had it out of your trunk?"

He made a face and mocked her words silently as he turned back toward Harry, "Harry please?"

Harry smiled, "I think I saw it in the kitchen on top of the fridge, no clue how it got there."

"Oh yeah!" Ron's face lit up, "I got hungry while packing and went to get a snack, must have set it down..." He rushed from the room toward the kitchen.

Harry was also sitting on his trunk, his things had been perfectly packed for him and his neatly pressed and folded clothes sat at the end of his bed when he woke up that morning. He suspected Ginny but he hadn't been able to ask her yet since she was still packing her own things. Gabrielle was sitting next to him with her powder blue trunk and matching luggage set against the wall across from them. Hermione had helped the girl pack her things on schedule so she could get plenty of sleep the night before her first time at Hogwarts.

Gin finally came into the room pulling her trunk behind her and Harry felt a stab of pain behind his eye..but he ignored it. Gabrielle laid her head on his shoulder and began humming softly and the pain faded. "Good morning Ginny."

She smiled softly at him, "Good morning Harry, I hope you have everything ready for school?"

"Somebody made sure of that, I was afraid to look too hard when I saw how well packed my trunk was this morning," he accused her with a raised eyebrow.

She blushed, "Well..I knew you had been out of it all day and I just wanted to make sure you were ready to go, I hope it's okay..."

He smiled, "It's wonderful Ginny, really. I just didn't expect it and I really appreciate it. You have to let me do something for you sometime to make up for it."

She shook her head and waved a hand, "No! Really its fine!" She smiled, "Helping you makes me happy."

"Hey sis have you seen my prefect badge? I can't find it!" Ron said rushing back into the room.

Hermione held her hand out with a smile, "You gave it to me at the beginning of the school year because you were afraid you would lose it. Looks like you were right."

Ron hugged her and grinned, "Alright I think that's everything. Thanks a million Hermione, you're a life saver."

The girl blushed slightly but nodded, "What would you do without me?"

"I don't want to find out..so you all set then Mate?" he said turning back to Harry.

"I'm good to go."

Molly came in with a smile, "Right then you lot, everything is in order? We leave in five for the station."

Ginny's eyes widened suddenly, "Oh no! I almost forgot!" She dashed down the hall and up the stairs, returning a short time later out of breath and handing Harry his freshly waxed and polished wand. "I did both of our wands last night as well, I almost forgot I didn't put it into your trunk!"

"Time to go!" Molly said from the front door.

"Gin?" Harry asked softly. Ginny looked up at him startled, "Did you grab your wand?"

"Oh no!" Ginny said with wide eyes before dashing up the stairs again.

Harry shook his head, "I swear she can't keep forgetting about herself just to take care of me."

Ron shrugged, "She's never this nice to me, don't look a gift in the mouth."

"Horse." Hermione said.

"What?"

"The saying is _Don't look a gift horse in the mouth_."

"Why would anyone look in a horses mouth?" He asked in confusion. Hermione just shook her head and resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

* * *

After unloading themselves and securing carts, they loaded up and headed into the station and toward the platform. Many teen boys and even some older men couldn't help but stare at Ginny and it was beginning to make her uncomfortable, sensing her unease Harry reached down and squeezed her hand. She couldn't help the fact that she'd gotten utterly gorgeous over the summer, seeing how other men reacted to her drove home that point in Harry's mind and he hoped it gave Gin some confidence. Gabby was at his other side pushing her own cart and looking around nervously. After spending a few days with her he'd come to realize she wasn't emotionless, she just didn't express herself well and she was very shy. Fleur and Bill followed behind her still looking confused but happy that she was changing schools. They passed through the barrier in shifts to avoid the gaze of any Muggles nearby, Harry going through last.

As the brick wall disappeared and the Magic side of the platform appeared he saw the large group of boys surrounding Gin and Gabby with Hermione and Ron trying desperately to pull them away.

"Ginny! Will you please go out with me?" One shouted, a Ravenclaw sixth year, Michael Corner?

"Oh little girl you are so cute, can I be your big brother?" A seventh year Hufflepuff Harry couldn't remember the name of asked Gabby, something about the way he said it made Harry very angry.

He stepped into the throng, "Oi! You lot back off! Can't you see you're making them uncomfortable?"

"What are you going to do about it Potter? I've had my eye on Ginny since second year!"

"Hey I've known how beautiful she would be since our first year!"

"No she's mine! I fell in love with her last year!"

"You're only a second year, what do you know about girls?"

"That new girl can't be more than a second year and she's so cute! I could teach her a few things!"

Harry's rage boiled over and, though he didn't know it, his eyes glowed as he shouted at them, "BACK OFF!"

Silence met his stare as the group formed a circle around them and Gabby latched onto his arm, burying her face into his back. Ginny wasn't far behind wrapping herself around his other arm for protection, then she said something that ignited a fire in the eyes of the watchers, "I'm sorry but I love Harry, I've given him my body and soul!"

"Potter! How could you!" Came a shout.

"It isn't like that! Now back off before you make me angry."

"Harry, I don't like them." Gabby said quietly, her tone relit the fire in his eyes and the boys backed off again...he continued to stare them down until they began to disperse.

He looked over his shoulder at the small girl, "It's okay now, I promise it won't be like that all year."

Molly, Fleur and Bill came through the barrier unaware of what had taken place, "Alright then, give us a hug and get onto the train. I swear we get later every year, you'd think I'd know better after 12 years of this."

Finally sorted out and in their compartment Harry allowed himself to relax, they waved out the windows to the adults as the train pulled away from the platform and then sat back down. Harry found two sets of eyes staring at him.

"So Mate, when were you going to tell us about the glowy eye thingy?" Ron asked.

"The what?" Harry asked feigning confusion, Gin giggled quietly beside him.

Hermione shook her head, "You know what Harry, you never bothered to mention you could project terror through your eyeballs like that. The look on your face tells me you were either too distracted to notice or it has happened before. You're lack of actual surprise at our accusations tells me you already knew you could do that."

He rubbed the back of his head nervously, "Well...you see this summer Vernon and I sort of got into it...badly...and I snapped. I think he shat himself from the look on his face, and after that we had an unspoken agreement that I was to be left alone. This was actually one of the better summers I can remember. I never could have snuck out of the house if I were being worked like a house elf as usual."

"Bloody scary that was, bloody useful too."

"Ron! Language!" Hermione remarked.

He turned on her, "Seriously? Harry just said his Uncle shat himself and you're on me for saying Bloody? Honestly it's like you've got a blind spot for him or you're out for me."

Hermione had the good nature to look embarrassed, "Yes...well, Harry isn't a prefect is he? I have to hold you to a higher standard. Speaking of which, we really should be going to the meeting."

Ron sighed and stood up with her, "Do we really have to go? If I'd known how much work being a prefect was I might not have been so happy about it."

The two began bickering quietly about the pro's and con's of prefectery as they exited the compartment.

"I thought it was pretty." Gabby said quietly.

Ginny grinned at him, "So did I, but I was kind of hoping I'd get to see it...by the way I'm sorry about what I said back there, I didn't mean it the way it sounded..."

He waved off her apology, "No need, it was a bit...over the top...but what do I care what the school thinks about me? One year I'm a hero, the next I'm a villain, it get's old. Wizards are dumb, you just have to put up with it or go along with it and I don't feel like bringing myself down to their level."

"Tell me about school?" Gabby asked.

"Well..." he was starting to get a kink in his neck from looking back and forth between the girls so he got up and sat himself across form them. "Hogwarts is amazing, the whole castle is almost alive..." His eyes took on a dreamy look as he remembered the closest thing he'd ever felt to home, "There are ghosts but they aren't really scary, just a bit disturbing. Except for the Bloody Baron, even the other ghosts find him scary...oh and Peeves is an annoying Poltergeist, you just have to learn to ignore him. If you react to his taunting it only encourages him."

Ginny picked up the conversation, "There are four houses, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. They all represent a main trait or two and you will be sorted based on what kind of traits you possess."

"Slytherin is about cunning and ambition, some people like Ron think that they are all evil but the more I think about it they really aren't. The only reason it seems that way is its become the place where Purebloods and the kids of Death Eaters seem to end up, but one of the worst people we know of was a Gryffindor." Harry continued.

"Gryffindor is the home of the Brave and Bold, that's where all of my family have been, Harry's parents too, and that's where we and Hermione are. Ravenclaw is studious and intelligent, and Hufflepuff is for hard working and loyal types."

Harry shook his head, "Honestly though, hardworking and loyal aren't exclusive to Hufflepuff any more than intelligence is only in Ravenclaw. Hermione is all of the above and she fits right in with us Gryffindors."

"I won't be those houses." Gabby remarked.

Ginny looked confused but spoke patiently, "Everyone is, that is just the way it's done."

Gabby shook her head, "Not this year."

Harry could see Gin working up a head of steam and he cut her off gently, "Let's just see how it goes."

They talked randomly for a while with Harry on the other side of the compartment, but his headache was starting to return and he hated himself for it. Finally he had to get up and feigned going to the loo to get out of the compartment. Actually he decided a spritz might help clear his head so he closed the door behind him and headed toward the end of the car and washed his face with cold water. As he stepped back out into the passageway he was confronted by several guys who had been in the DA the year before. He would have counted them as friends but something about their demeanor was off...

"Potter, what's the deal with you and Ginny?" Asked Corner.

"Yeah and how can you string her along when we all know you're a cradle robber?" Asked the Hufflepuff kid.

Harry quirked an eyebrow, "I'm not with either of them, and for your information Gabrielle is a fifth year just like Ginny."

He didn't get the reaction he expected as two sets of eyes lit up and the third, a second year, seemed to dim a bit at the news. He could almost hear their internal monologues before they shouted almost at the same time and raised their hands in triumph. All spouting the same general nonsense about making the girls love them.

"No." Harry said quietly.

"What?" They asked sensing danger.

"I said no, you are going to leave both of those girls alone. Ginny has expressed to me that she doesn't want any romantic distractions this year due to OWLs and this is Gabrielle's first year as well as her OWL year. You are going to leave both of them alone and spread the word that if they say one word to me about you, you will answer to me. Understood?"

His eyes weren't glowing this time, but all three of them had witnessed the event earlier and didn't wish to press their luck. They slowly backed away and disappeared through the connecting doors to the next car up. Ron and Hermione came into the car from the same direction looking back over their shoulders.

"Problem?" Ron asked.

"I don't think so, we were just having a discussion."

"And how is your headache?" Hermione asked.

That threw him for a loop, "What headache?"

"Honestly Harry, when will you learn I can read you like a book?"

Ron snorted, "And you know how she is with books."

He slumped against the wall, "It's fine now...I don't know what's going on but when I'm with Gin its like I can feel the pressure building in my skull. Like my brain is trying to escape through my eyeballs..."

Hermione was suddenly concerned, "Perhaps you should ask Madam Pomfrey to take a look, just to be certain there is nothing funny going on. It would be awful if you were developing migraines, my mother has fought them all her life it seems, my grandmother as well, I was lucky to have it skip me."

"What's a migraine?" Ron asked as they turned to head back to the compartment.

"Maybe that answers the question Hermione, is it possible migraines don't occur in magical people?"

She shrugged, "It's possible I suppose, but it is just as likely that migraines are simply one of the multitude of things Ron doesn't' know."

"Oi!" Ron said good naturedly, he was learning not to take offense so easily to her needling. He'd had all summer to learn after all.

They slid the door open and sat back down in the compartment, the headache hit Harry almost instantly but he suppressed the urge to grab his head, smiling at the girls instead. "Hello Luna!"

The girl was in a staring contest with Gabrielle, neither showing much expression but neither looking perturbed by the other either. Luna slowly looked away from the other girl and up at him, "Hello Harry, You seem to have had a good summer."

Harry took his seat between Gin and Gabby, the latter laying her head against him and instantly the pain dulled, Ron and Hermione sat on either side of the Ravenclaw, "I did have a good summer, how did you know?"

"Isn't it obvious? You look much healthier than normal for the beginning of the year so the wrackspurts must have left you alone."

Hermione did not resist the urge to sigh, "What is a wrackspurt Luna?"

"Wrackspurts are creatures that attach themselves to a wizard and suck out their life force. They're like a tapeworm but invisible and with wings."

"Yes...well..." the bookworm couldn't come up with a suitable response so went with silence instead.

Harry smiled, "Yes Luna, the wrackspurts left me alone this summer. How was yours"

"Oh it was lovely, daddy and I went to Sweden to try and capture a snorkack, but it was breeding season and they wouldn't come down out of the trees."

"What on earth are you.."

"Let it go Hermione." Ron cut her off. The girl huffed but relented.

"Did they tell you the news Harry?" Luna asked him indicating Ron and Hermione on either side of him.

"The news?"

"Oh that's right! I almost forgot. Apparently we have transfer students!" Ron exclaimed.

Ginny looked confused, "What's so odd about that, Gabby is a transfer student, it can't be that unheard of."

Hermione shook her head, "You don't understand, apparently they are from the worlds of the Gods and Demons!"

Harry and Gin both sat up at that, "How could you forget something like that?" He asked.

"Well you were..." Ron started but Hermione nudged him behind Luna's back, "coming out of the loo and we got to talking about that other thing and I guess it just sort of slipped my mind. You'd have found out at the feast anyway."

"How did you know about it Luna?" Hermione asked.

"The twitler told me."

"I'm not going to ask...I'm NOT going to ask...I'm not GOING to ask..." Hermione repeated to herself quietly.

"I hear they are both girls and more beautiful than a Veela!" Ron said with a smile. "I wonder if they'd go out with a human?"

"They would." Gabby spoke up, "But not you."

"Hey whats that supposed to mean?" Ron asked defensively causing the girl to bury herself into Harry's shoulder again.

"Ronald, stop that!" Hermione chastised him. "In any case I'm sure she didn't mean anything mean..."

Luna chimed in, "It doesn't matter either way of course, she's right that the girls wouldn't be interested in you Ron, but it isn't anything personal."

"And what would you know? Did your twitter thingy tell you that too?" Ron said with a frown.

"No, but you can trust Gabrielle when she tells you something, and she isn't mean enough to say something hurtful."

Harry pondered that for a moment, "Didn't you two just meet though? How would you know that about her?"

Luna shrugged, "I just do Harry. Haven't you ever just known something to be true without having to back it up with facts?"

"Be that as it may I think maybe we should stop speculating and wait to see what happens at the feast, one thing is for sure however. Harry was right about Dumbledore being involved in some way."

"The twitler told me." Harry said with a smile at Luna who dazzled him with her own in return.

Just then the door slid open and Dennis Creevey stood there looking nervous, Hermione spoke kindly, "Yes Dennis? How can we help you?"

"Um...I have notes for you, Ginny and Harry...invitations."

Harry stood and took the invitations from the boy with a smile, "Thanks Dennis..." The boy was peeking his head around Harry's shoulder to get a look at Gabrielle, "We'll be along shortly, looks like you have more to deliver?"

"What? Oh! Yeah I guess...see you later Harry!" The boy smiled and turned to head further down the train, still trying to peek into the compartment as the door closed and Harry passed out the notes.

"You are cordially invited to join Professor Slughorn in the first car for a meet and greet, refreshments will be provided." Hermione read out loud, "Didn't Mrs Weasley say something about his little club?"

"The Slug Club, yeah," Ron said, "Why did you three get invites and I didn't?"

"Dunno, but if we go I'd be happier if you could stay here with Gabby. You've seen the way everyone is looking at her."

The girl clung tightly to him, "Don't go."

He smiled down at her, "It will be okay Gabby, Ron will keep them away from you. And look!" He pulled a galleon out of his pocket and handed it to Ron, "The trolley will be along any minute with snacks and drinks, you three can have anything you want, on me."

Ron seemed to back off of his opposition when he saw the coin, "Alright mate, I'll keep her safe for you. Don't worry Gabby, none of those gits will bother you while I'm here."

"So I guess we should go?" Ginny asked.

"Might as well." Hermione replied standing up.

The three of them exited the car and headed toward the front of the train. They found the compartment easily by the streamers hung around the door and stepped inside. The compartment had been expanded and a table with cold chicken, fruit and juice sat at one end against the wall. Sitting toward the center by the window was a rather portly mustached older man that reminded Harry somewhat of a walrus.

"Ah! Finally, the great Harry Potter has joined us!" The man said as he stood and waddled toward them, "I've heard great things about you Mr. Potter, not the least of which is your Prowess as a seeker, I know all of the Harpies you know, most of them were students of mine. In fact Megan here is her cousin!" Megan smiled and waved nervously from near the food table. "And Miss Givevra Weasley, I have heard tell you can cast the most wonderful Bat Bogey hex! I'd love to see that sometime though not directed at me I hope!"

Ginny smiled cordially but hung onto Harry's arm, Hermione had unthinkingly grabbed his other arm and Harry could see the looks of the boys in the compartment, accusing, jealous and angry. He wrote them off for the time being. "Um yes sir, and this is Hermione Granger."

"Whom?" The man asked as he squinted his eyes, he saw the invitation in her hand and smiled, "Ah yes, the Muggleborn who joined you at the Ministry last year."

Harry's temper flared a bit, "Hermione isn't just a Muggleborn sir, she's the smartest witch at Hogwarts and one of my best friends."

The man's eyes lit up at that, "Ah! A genius Muggleborn witch eh? You know your mother was the same way, one of the most amazing charms specialists to come out of Hogwarts in a long time and beautiful to boot! You certainly seem to be following in your fathers footsteps. I had heard that you looked just like him but the resemblance is astounding, except for the eyes.."

"Yes, I've been told I have her eyes..." He was still upset for the casual way he seemed to write Hermione off.

"May I speak with you for a moment alone Harry?" The man said motioning toward the passageway and catching Harry off guard.

"Go on Harry, we'll be fine." Ginny said with a smile.

"Alright," Harry said dubiously, "Just for a moment, we really can't stay long though."

As they stepped back into the passageway and the door slid closed behind them the man cast a quick privacy bubble around them, "Now Harry I just had a quick question for you, have you ever met any of the Gods or Devils we've heard so much about? Perhaps when you were younger?"

Harry raised one eyebrow in confusion, "I think I met a few at the end of the summer but how would I know if I met any when I was younger? I didn't even know about the other worlds?"

The man seemed confused for a moment, "Yes...well... You're a very lucky young man Harry, just be careful this year, I'd hate to lose my star member."

"Of the Slug Club?"

The man recovered and smiled at his comment, "Yes, so you've heard about my little group then? Informal of course but every star student at Hogwarts is a personal friend of mine, if you'd ever like tickets to a Harpies game just let me know, Gwennog get's me tickets whenever I ask!"

Harry was confused by the change in the conversation but went along with it, the man was making him nervous with his comments, "I'll do that sir, may we?" He motioned back toward the door.

"Of course! Plenty of people to meet and greet. I look forward to speaking with you over the year."

After a few more idle conversations the trio excused themselves and headed back to their compartment. They found Ron, Luna and Gabby with juice and chocolate spread on the seats around them. Gabby was quietly munching on a chocolate frog while Luna was holding hers by one leg and poking it with her wand. Ron had chocolate all over his lips as he smiled at them.

"So how was it?"

Hermione huffed, "That man is such a panderer, he collects people and uses them when they get famous after graduation. Neville looked so nervous and lost it was heartbreaking, he figured he was there because of his father."

"Wonder why he didn't want me there..." Ron said quietly.

Harry smiled at him to diffuse his jealousy, "Honestly mate it was a chore, he kind of gives me the willies. I don't know how he could possibly be a Defense expert but I suppose Dumbledore is scraping the bottom of the barrel at this point."

"I brought you a chicken leg though!" Ginny said producing the pilfered food.

His eyes lit up as he snatched it, "Thanks sis! I take back anything I ever said about you."

"Hey! What have you been saying about me?" She said producing her wand.

He gulped his bite of the chicken, "Um...that you are the best sister any bloke could have and I love you?"

"Oh really? Why would you take that back then?" She said with ice in her voice and her wand twitching the motion for a hex.

"Oh look at the time!" he said looking at his wrist which didn't hold a watch, "We should probably be getting changed."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "That is probably a good idea, we'll be at Hogsmead within the hour."

* * *

The thestral drawn carriages dropped them at the front door as usual, Neville had found his way to the group at Hogsmead Station and joined them for the ride up to the castle. Apparently his Gran had been so proud of him for his role in the Department of Mysteries raid that she'd bought him a wand that suited him and he had secretly tried it out over the summer getting fantastic results. Things were looking up for the boy this year and Harry marveled a bit at how much he seemed to have grown. Much like Ginny, he had bloomed over the summer and the baby fat had melted away. Neville chalked it up to long days in the greenhouse when Harry mentioned it.

Things seemed to be going a bit backward this year as the first years and Gabrielle were sat at a separate table near the front and the meal was served first. Normally they would have been sorted first, the change in events didn't quite sit right with Harry but Gabby seemed to be doing okay with the younger kids...in fact she fit right in.

The feast was wonderful as usual but the buzz about the transfer students was overpowering even the talk about the new defense teacher at the table. Horace Slughorn looked more like a History of Magic teacher than a defense teacher but if Moody was anything to go by looks could be deceiving. Down the table Harry could hear the talk between Lavender and Parvati the school's biggest gossips.

"I hear from a creditable source that both are girls, one from each realm, and they are absolutely gorgeous." Lavender said with a giggle.

"I wonder what kind of fashion they have in the world of the Gods?" Parvati asked.

"You know ladies, I heard it was a couple of guys. What was your oh so reliable source anyway?" a fourth year boy asked.

The girls exchanged a look and Lavender smiled condescendingly at him, "Trade secret, who would tell us anything if we let it be known who gave us our information?"

Dumbledore stood up, drawing the attention of the room which quickly fell silent,

"Good evening to all and welcome to another school year. For the new students welcome, and to the returning students welcome back. The return of Voldemort has brought about a dark time in our world and I urge you all to strengthen the bonds of friendship within your houses and with the other houses, we must stand united against this threat. However there is no need to worry, Hogwarts is the safest place in the Magical World and I hope you can all concentrate on your studies and activities and allow the adults to worry about the outside world.

"You will have noticed I'm sure, that we are doing things a bit differently this year. We have moved the sorting to the end of the feast due to a special announcement. Many of you may have heard that the gates between the world of the Gods and the Devils have been opened, this is the truth. These beings are far more powerful than any Wizard, even myself, and I am also certain you have all heard by now that we have transfer students joining us this year."

He motioned toward the teachers lounge and every student fell silent in anticipation, the boys were all on the edge of their seats waiting to see the purported beauties with their own eyes. The doors opened and in stepped two older gentleman. One in a Kimono, the other in black turtleneck and designer jeans. The reaction of the students was almost comical as the collective psychic energy of the room seemed to scream, "WHAT? WHO?"

"Aren't those?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah," Harry said quietly, "The Kings of Gods and Devils."

The larger man spoke first, his voice carried easily and carried the tone of command with it, "What's wrong with them Dumbledore? They all seem to have been expecting something else?"

"And all the boys seem to be almost in tears? My my, I know we are impressive but don't worry too much boys, I'm sure our wives wouldn't approve of us stealing your teen aged girlfriends."

Dumbledore smiled, "I'm sure they were not expecting to meet the two of you rather than their new classmates."

Forbes locked eyes with Harry at the same time that a grin came over Eustus' face and he shouted, "HARRY!"

All eyes turned to look at Harry who was suddenly feeling very self conscious in his seat, Gabby was looking at him with what looked almost like mirth in her eyes, though her face remained passive. The kings crossed the room and Eustus hugged him, pulling him out of his seat and squeezing the air out of him, "Oh Harry it is an honor to meet you!"

Forbes shook his limp hand, "You will have to take very extra special care of my daughter this year alright Harry?"

He nodded weakly wondering just what in blazes was going on, "Eustus I do believe you are squeezing the life from him."

The man squeezed harder, "Nonsense, my daughters boyfriend is made of tougher stuff than that! You hear me Harry? You're a very lucky man, my daughter is extremely cute and man can she cook! Also she has the most amazing chest you've ever seen on a teenage girl, really you should be thanking me for producing such a fine specimen for you to have your way with!"

Somehow Dumbledore's chair seemed to materialize out of thin air and knocked the King of Gods to the floor with ground shaking power. The brown haired girl Harry had met at the market stood over him holding the chair over her hair as though it weighed nothing, fuming and blushing at the same time. "DADDY! STOP IT!"

"But Princess, I was just..."

"No Daddy!" the man frowned on the floor, reduced from the most powerful man in any realm to a pouting heap. That was when Harry noticed the other girl standing beside her, blue hair flowing over her shoulders and down her back.

"Hello Harry..." She said shyly.

"Hi?" He said in confusion.

Dumbledore chuckled and the brown haired girls eyes widened suddenly as she turned to him, "Oh Sir! I'm ever so sorry for taking your chair...and I seem to have broken the leg off.."

"Easily fixed my dear, I was hoping you might intercede on young Harry's behalf. Your father was getting a bit carried away."

Forbes leaned in close to Harry and whispered, "Don't think anything of his comments about her chest, my daughter has lovely breasts that are too large for her frame don't you think, and she is still a growing girl."

"Daddy!" The girl shouted at him.

He winked at Harry before moving away and pulling Eustus to his feet, "I stand by what I said."

"Yes well, if you four would please return to the front of the room we will do the introductions properly." Dumbledore said with twinkling eyes.

The four of them returned to the front and stood in a line, Dumbledore continued, "Now would you please introduce yourselves?"

The brown haired girl spoke first, "Hello!" She grinned and her smile caused a collective sigh among the boys, "My name is Lisianthus, but most people call me Sia, and I'm from the world of the Gods."

The blue haired girl spoke next, "And my name is Nerine, I'm from the world of the Devils..."

"And I'm Eustus, the King of the Gods, The Almighty God, Holiest of Holys, at your service." The man said with a huge pointy toothed grin.

"I would be Forbes, King of the Devils, forgive me for dropping my other titles over the years but they seem to give the wrong impression when I visit your world."

Slughorn seemed like a child in a candy shop judging by the grin on his face, McGonagall removed her face from her hand and spoke with a harsh tone, "He meant the students not you two!"

One of the first years spoke from the table at the front, "Excuse me...but did they say they are..."

McGonagall nodded, "Yes, I know it is hard to believe but these two are the kings of their worlds."

"Wouldn't that make..."

Sia spoke up, "Yes, but please don't make a big deal about us being Princesses!"

Nerine nodded, "We just want to be treated normally while we are in this world, please..."

Dumbledore interrupted them, "Actually there is one accommodation that has been made, or rather several accommodations..."

"We built you a Royal Tower!" Eustus cried out, "It's absolutely gorgeous if I do say so!"

Forbes placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down after seeing the look in Sia's eyes, "It is the same size as the other towers we toured but there are single bedrooms instead of dorms. We couldn't leave you in the world without a bit of home."

"But we don't want..." Nerine began.

"Nonsense!" Eustus said with a grin, "Besides, you can choose your own housemates to join you so it isn't like you will be alone. Harry will be the first one to join I'm sure!"

Harry spoke up at that, "Actually sir I..."

"Will love the Jacuzzi tub I'm sure, it seats six people." Forbes interrupted him.

Eyes around the room were staring at him again with that mixture of jealousy, awe and outright hatred. "Sir if I may...why do you have such an interest in me?"

Dumbledore smiled down from the podium, "Oh my, have we forgotten to mention? These girls are to be entrusted to you personally. Their happiness and health while in this world are your responsibility. According to the terms of the diplomatic treaty the Magical world has signed, you are our Diplomatic Ambassador."

"What!" He cried out, "But why? What did you do this time?"

Nerine spoke again, "It wasn't him this time...actually..."

"What my daughter is trying to say young Harry, is that you are the chosen suitor for both Nerine and Sia. Naturally you would be the representative of your world to ours." Forbes said smoothly.

Hermione spoke out of turn, "He what?"

Eustus smiled, "It's quite simple, you get to marry one of our daughters and become either the King of the Gods, married to my Amazing and nubile daughter and able to command all the forces of Heaven."

"Or marry Nerine and become King of the Devils able to command all the powers that that entails, and I assure you she is just as or more nubile that Sia." Forbes finished.

Harry could feel the hexes and curses on the tips of half the audience directed at him in that moment.

"Daddy Shut Up!" Nerine cried out, blushing as deep red as her eyes.

"And so you see Mr. Potter, your fate was chosen before you got here this evening. You could of course choose to remain in Gryffindor and to reject these two girls. But I'm afraid the results for our world would be most unfortunate."

Harry swallowed his confusion and fear, "Wait a minute, you make it sound like there will be war or something!"

"Oh Heavens no!" Dumbledore replied, "I didn't mean to make it sound quite so dire, I simply meant that all of the diplomatic relations between our world and theirs would cease and we would all forget that they were ever here. There is a lot that they can teach us about healing and magic as well as many items wondrous to us but everyday to them as warm socks. I also did mention you do not have to marry either of them, only consider the possibility."

"What's the matter Harry? Do you already have a girlfriend?" Eustus asked in that scary imposing voice.

Harry chose his words carefully and could still only come up with, "Well...no..."

"Good! Then it's settled! The sorting hat was consulted about the new house of course and he found the idea wonderful when we mentioned that you would likely be joining it." Forbes said with a grin.

"I'll bet he did..." Harry could hear the Hat's laughter from the stool behind McGonagall, and saw her quickly stuff it on her seat and sit down on it to muffle the sound. "Wait a minute! Why am I being chosen specifically? What makes me eligible to be King of anything?"

Forbes seemed to ponder the question, "Well really, you were so small I can't blame you for not remembering. You met in childhood and made quite the impression on both of our girls."

"They have been quite insistent since that day that you were the only man they would ever love." Eustus said, "both girls were turning red and looking anywhere but at Harry.

"Father please...don't talk about it..." The blue haired girl said quietly, grabbing her fathers sleeve in embarrassment. He rubbed her head gently.

"...so...we've met before?" Harry asked, it was only beginning to dawn on him that the entire hall was still silent. Enraptured with the current goings on.

"It was many years ago young Harry, but they fell in love with you and have kept you in their small hearts since that day. Don't worry though, my Rina's heart is the only small part of her chest."

"Daddy!" Nerine squeaked.

"Now now Forbes! Sia is a growing girl and I'm sure her breasts are going to be magnificent! Why if I were younger and not related to her I'm sure I would..."

BANG! The headmasters golden throne made another appearance smacking Eustus halfway across the room. "Sia, haven't I asked you not to use the chair?" He said rubbing his head.

"But daddy, it's the quickest way to shut you up when you get over excited." Her tone seemed to melt the man into a puddle. It looked like these girls had their daddies wrapped around their little fingers. "Look at Harry! He's turning red and doesn't know how to react." She grinned at him, "He's so cute!"

The king of the Gods pleaded with his daughter, "I'm your father, I'm just doing my best to market you..."

"Well you don't need to do that for me!" Sia said loudly.

The girls began pushing the resisting kings from the room and back toward the teachers lounge. Forbes called out before he disappeared, "Harry for further information just ask the girls or try to remember your past! Be good to Sia and Rina right young Harry?"

"Be nice to them!" Eustus cried as the door slammed in his face.

"Okay?" Harry answered.

Dumbledore clapped his hands and smiled, "Wonderful of you to accept the position Harry, now we can continue with the sorting."

"Ginny? Ginny! This is no time to pass out!" Hermione cried and Harry looked to see her holding the girl up and fanning her face with a napkin.

Once things settled down it felt as if a Hurricane had left the room, the calm after the storm when everyone began sorting out what was left. The first years and transfer students lined up down the middle of the room and the sorting began. When the hat got to Sia and Nerine they were quickly announced as belonging to Royal House. The others were sorted normally until it was Gabrielle's turn, the hat had barely sat upon her head before it called out. "Royal!"

"What?" Harry called.

"Gabrielle?" Nerine asked questioningly.

There was a pause as the girl collected herself and moved toward the other two girls quietly, she then threw her arms around Nerine and sobbed, "Big Sister!"

"Sister? But I thought she was Fleurs sister?" Ron asked Harry.

"So did we, I don't know what is going on." The tears running down Nerine's face along with the confusion in her eyes didn't really help them figure it out any better.

The first years moved to their respective tables as they were named to a house leaving the Royals with the new smaller table up front. Dumbledore stood once more, "Now Mr. Potter, if you would please step forward to be resorted?"

Harry stood and walked toward the front of the room with every eye on him, "I thought it was already decided that I was moving?"

Dumbledore waved away his concerns, "Oh it has and the Hat has already agreed to the idea, but it must be done officially for the castle to recognize you and for your possessions to be moved to your new quarters."

Harry sat on the stool, much shorter than he remembered it, and McGonagall placed the hat upon his head, "Well hello again Mr Potter."

Harry sighed inside his head, "Hello again Hat."

"My my, you really haven't changed much since first year have you. I still say you would have done well in Slytherin..but then I'll tell you a secret. You would have done well in any house."

"But you put me in Gryffindor?"

The hat chuckled quietly, "If you recalled you asked me to put you in Gryffindor, all things being equal I let you make the decision. It happens more often than anyone talks about."

"What about this Royal House thing, did you really sign off on it so easily?"

"Well to be honest, I found it too amusing to pass up, you have no idea how boring it is to only have four houses to choose from for centuries. My only fun comes from making up new songs every year."

"Fine, can we get this over with?"

"Alright then, guess it better be..."

"Wait!" Harry cried into his brain, "I have conditions!"

"Oh? Now this is interesting, and what might those conditions be?"

"You say we get a choice, so here is what I want you to do..." He laid out the plan and heard the hat chuckling.

"Oh I'm going to enjoy the look on the Headmaster's face, very well... ROYAL HOUSE!" He roared out the last.

Dumbledore stood to dismiss them before the hat turned itself around to face him, "Hold on there Albus, There are five more students to be sorted."

The old man paused in confusion for a moment, "Five more you say?"

"Yes, I need to have a look inside their heads to see if they should be moved."

Dumbledore stepped down and walked around the table and conferred with the hat for a few moments before standing up straight to address the students. "Would Ginevra Weasley, Ronald Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger please approach the staff table?"

The confused teens stood and walked toward the front of the room where Dumbledore quickly explained the situation.

**A/N: And that seemed like a good stopping place, bit of a cliffhanger maybe? Idk, but I felt like it was starting to drag on for a single chapter, so I'm breaking from tradition and will continue the current day plus the next day in the next chapter. Didn't want to force myself into Diary mode for the whole story anyway. For those of you who know Shuffle! I hope I did the characters justice, for those who don't I hope I introduced them well.**

**Here's to next time, Cheers!**


	8. Chapter 8

******Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, plot and interactions are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Hogwarts Shuffle! Chapter Eight**

**09/01 – Sunday (evening)**

"I still can't believe it." Hermione said as they followed Professor Dumbledore up the stairs toward the fourth floor.

"I know, but he explained it to us...it sort of makes sense I guess. But I thought he'd jump at the chance as well." Harry replied.

"Well Ron had better not be jealous of our new House now, he was given the chance and he decided to stay in Gryffindor." Hermione harrumphed, crossing her arms. "I also find it strange that the the others didn't wait to see who was going to be in their house, I was really hoping for an explanation of how they knew Gabrielle."

"She called Nerine 'Big Sister' though, I think we're missing something..." Ginny commented.

"I still don't understand any of this, why did the hat even say our names?" Neville said motioning towards Luna, "And I actually argued with it to stay in Gryffindor but he convinced me...I can see Ron's point to an extent. With Harry gone he has a good chance of being the Quidditch Captain next year."

"Be that as it may it still feels a bit like betrayal to me, we've been together for five years and he's suddenly the only one to split from the group?" Hermione said snidely.

Harry put a hand on her shoulder, "It was his choice, and it isn't like we won't get to see him. All of our classes are still the same, it would have been too hard to work a fifth house into the rota."

Neville laughed, "I suppose I won't miss his snoring this way."

"You wouldn't have missed his snoring in any case, we all get our own rooms. I'll be very happy to keep all my things to my self this year." Luna commented. "Unless you'd like to borrow them, I like to share as well."

They arrived outside a painting of a Unicorn which bowed it's head to Dumbledore silently, "Lemon Drops," The headmaster said with a smile and the frame swung away from the wall to reveal a steel door with a palm scanner off to one side. He turned to them, "Each of you will need to place your palm on this plate and state your name to gain entrance. I am not certain what enchantments were used to create this device but I believe it resembles what I have seen in the Muggle world from time to time."

Each teen did so before a musical tone sounded and the door slid into the wall, they followed the Headmaster inside. The entry hall was floor to ceiling marble with what looked like actual gold veins running through it, there were several statues on either side of men and women with God and Devil features. A curtain hung at the end of the hallway drawn to both sides to allow entry. Inside, the common room seemed enormous compared to Gryffindor Tower though Harry thought it might have been the lack of people and the amount of furniture. The floor had a plush purple carpet from wall to wall and the walls were a polished wood that he couldn't recognize. There was a grand staircase on either side of the room leading up to the bedroom which he could see from here, there didn't appear to be a Boys side and a Girls side from what he could tell. Hanging from the balcony was a large purple and silver banner with a beaked and winged serpent breathing fire. The whole place reminded him of any palace he'd ever caught sight of on the telly. On the couches were the Kings, the Princesses and Gabrielle who all looked up as they entered.

"Harry...and.." Forbes began, "...friends! Well this is a lovely surprise, I suppose we did build more than enough rooms."

Eustus got up and wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders, drawing him toward the couches and leaning in to whisper too loudly, "So Harry...don't you think maybe all these people might cramp your style a bit?"

"What do you mean sir?"

"Well I mean...if you wanted to...get closer to my daughter...won't these other people get in the way?"

Forbes spoke up, "As if we can't hear you Eustus, you never did master speaking softly you know. I have to agree with him though Harry, don't you think three is company but eight is a crowd?"

"But sir, Gabrielle was already here so I don't see how a few more people makes a difference?" He'd had time to recover from the initial shock and was back in analyze mode. He knew he wasn't ready to play word games with the King of Devils but he couldn't just sit and take it any more.

"Well yes, I suppose you are right but Gabby here was a special case."

Hermione interjected, "Actually sir, we were wondering about that."

"Ah, well you see Gabby here is actually from our neighborhood." Forbes said.

"WHAT!" The collective Hogwarts students shouted in unison.

Nerine blushed as she spoke, "Well you see...there was an...issue several years ago and Gabby needed a loving home environment."

"Yes!" Eustus added, "She doesn't have any family in our world so we decided to see if she could find happiness with a family in this one."

"Gabby?" Harry asked and the girl looked up, "So you're from the world of the Gods?"

"Not exactly.." She said quietly.

Forbes smiled and stood up, "Maybe she can explain later, right now we had a few things to discuss. You see, I couldn't help but notice the somewhat evil bit floating around your aura."

Harry automatically reached up to touch his scar, "Yes?"

"As I explained your majesty, Harry was hit with the Killing Curse as a toddler." Dumbledore said out of turn.

"Yes I understand all of that Headmaster, but you see...at the time you did not mention the connection between Harry and his attacker, nor did you mention that this girl here has a very similar connection."

Everyone turned to the girl he was pointing at, Ginny looked back with wide eyes, "Wh..what?"

Eustus leaned in to her personal space and examined her, "Yes I see it now..."

Harry jumped to defend her, "She was possessed by him in her first year, but surely there isn't any trace of him left. I destroyed the object he used to gain access to her."

"That may well be," The King of Devils said contemplatively, "But the connection is there nonetheless. Actually it is quite a bit stronger in some ways than the one in your scar."

"How can that be?" Ginny asked quietly, eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

"If you will allow me to examine you?" Forbes asked. She pulled her robes tighter around her body and he smiled, "No my dear, you misunderstand, I simply need to cast a spell.

"Oh...okay then..."

Forbes clasped his hands and began concentrating, the magic in the air started to build until specks of light began dancing around him. All of those in the room could feel the weight of it hanging on them, pressing in from all sides like a thick fog. His fingertip began to glow as he pointed it at her, first at her feet and working his way up her body to her head then back down to her chest. "Yes...it seems to be coming from somewhere around here. You don't perhaps have a scar similar to Harry's do you?"

"Mister Potter is the only one with that kind of scar known to exist." Dumbledore stated.

"An item then? Something associated with this person?"

Ginny shook her head before her eyes went wide, she pulled open her robes and ripped a necklace from around her neck and tossed it on the floor in front of her. Forbes' eyes followed the item until it bounced to a stop on the carpet. He reached down and picked it up, pointing his finger at it and then back at her.

"No doubt about it, this object contains the same connective magic as the scar on Harry's forehead." He turned and noticed the shocked look on Dumbledore's face, "Do you know anything about this item Headmaster?"

It took a moment for the old man to find his voice, "I do...that appears to be Slytherins Locket lost all these many years."

"Does this item hold any significance to this Voldemort person you spoke of?"

"It very well may...you see I had a bit of a theory and this seems to prove it out..."

Harry turned on him, "Well then? Spit it out sir, I think I have a right to know!"

The man sat down hard and looked up at him, "Indeed you do Harry, I had planned lessons this year to tell you all that I know of Tom Riddle but it appears the timetable has been moved up at least in this instance. You know of course of the connection you share with Voldemort. After your second year I began to form a hypothesis as to its origin. You see, I've spent many years wondering what it was that allowed Voldemort to escape that night in his spectral form rather than crossing over. It is my theory that he split his soul and stored it in objects of value to him."

Harry's brain was working overtime as he thought through the possibilities and came to a horrible conclusion, but he didn't voice it just yet. "So the diary?"

"Yes Harry, I believe that the diary was one such object, this locket appears to be the same."

Hermione spoke up, "But...but how can someone split their soul?"

Ginny looked faint again so Harry moved over to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to steady her as Dumbledore continued, "You see Miss Granger, when someone performs an act of evil it tears at their soul leaving them broken and ugly on the inside. I believe it entirely possible to mend one's soul over time if they make the effort, however the act of murder, not just killing but specifically murdering another person, rips a piece of that persons soul almost irrevocably from the rest. Through dark magic that piece can be stored in another object, keeping it alive. A connection then remains to the whole and thus, while this piece survives the rest cannot cross over making them effectively immortal."

"A connection...but that means..." Neville said quietly.

"It means I have a piece of Voldemort's soul in my head." Harry finished quietly.

"Oh Harry!" Sia and Nerine said at the same time, the pain in their eyes affecting everyone else.

Harry gathered himself up and asked the question, "Is there any way to remove it?"

Dumbledore seemed to age as they looked on, "Not without destroying the object...I encountered a similar object over the summer and it nearly destroyed me before I destroyed it. My hand..." He waved it in front of them, "was all but lost to me. Severus was able to stop the curse for a time but I was told I had only a few months to live."

"But your hand looks fine Headmaster." Neville commented.

The old man smiled, "That would be thanks to our friends here, the realm of the Gods has amazing Healing magic that was able to remove the curse placed upon me and restore the function of my arm. The object I found was a ring which belonged to Voldemort's family." He pulled the object from his pocket, the damage was easy to see for anyone. "It was beautiful before...irresistible, but in order to stop its curse I had to destroy it. Just as you had to destroy the diary of Tom Riddle."

Ginny was wrapped tightly around Harry now, crying quietly into his shoulder. Hermione moved to his other side and began rubbing his back comfortingly, "Surely there is something you can do your majesty?" She said addressing Forbes.

"Possibly, with your permission I'd like to take this object back with me and have our best and brightest study the problem." Dumbledore nodded.

Harry stood up straighter and addressed the royalty in the room, "I'm sorry..I'm afraid I'm going to have to reject your offer of marriage."

"What?" Sia asked in surprise and hurt.

"Harry you don't..." Nerine began.

"Harry don't be so hasty, this is just a bump in the road I'm sure. Our people are the greatest magical scholars in any realm. If anyone can figure out this mess it would be them." Eustus said quietly.

"That isn't the only problem, I take it the Headmaster neglected to tell you the rest?" The confused looks on their faces told him everything he needed to know.

"Harry this is not the time nor the place..." Dumbledore began.

"No this is the perfect time, before anyone gets hurt. You see there is a prophecy regarding Voldemort and myself. Basically it says that either I kill him or die trying and it's the same for him. I'm not getting out of this one and just being around me is dangerous for your daughters. My friends followed me last year and we all nearly died."

Eustus grinned, "Actually that isn't quite the way I heard the story, what I heard was that you personally trained an army and took your top five with you into battle, six students held their own against a superior force of battle hardened wizards and you escaped with only minor injuries. A strong leader deserving of my daughter and my throne!"

Harry hadn't thought of it quite that way and felt a bit of pride burst into his chest but he quickly cut it off, "We had help sir, we had all been captured when the Order showed up and saved us."

"Well you are only students Harry! I'd say you did a remarkable job all things considered, nobody expects you to be perfect while you are still a student!" Forbes remarked.

He shook his head, "That's just it sir, I'm not anywhere close to perfect and yet I have this madman after me and in the end, he is probably going to kill me. It isn't worth the pain and the time for me to get to know your daughters. I'm sorry."

Forbes walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder, "Tell you what, why don't you let us look into it and see what we can do. To use a turn of phrase, you do have all the powers of Heaven and Hell at your disposal. What is one mere man against that?"

Next to the pride Harry felt another emotion stirring which he had somewhat given up on over the summer, Hope. "I don't know what to say to that sir..."

"Enough with this sir business, you should call me daddy like Nerine does!"

"Daddy!" His daughter cried at him, proving his point.

Eustus grinned, "Now now that won't do, you'll have to call me Dad or Papa too!"

Harry was getting confused, he really needed to meditate on today's events, "Um...I think sir will do for now...your majesty."

"Daddy you're confusing him again, I think it's time for you to go." Sia said, as Harry looked he saw her hand caressing an armchair.

"You too Father, I think it best if you leave this to us, it's been a long day and I think we all need to talk alone." Nerine said firmly.

"But we were going to have a party! I brought the Sake!" Eustus said with a pout.

"No! No Sake for you tonight, go away!" Sia said pointing at him.

"But Sia, you don't want your dear father here? There are still extra rooms!"

"OUT!" Both girls shouted and the two kings quickly made their way from the tower.

Harry took one look at Ginny and then back at Dumbledore, "You too sir, I think that is enough for one day."

Dumbledore stood and nodded, "I believe you are correct Harry, there is a cup of tea and a pair of warm socks awaiting me in my chambers. You will find that your names have been placed on the doors and your things moved into them and put away. I'll bid you good night."

Harry waited until he heard the sound of the door sliding shut, the bolt sliding into place and the musical tone of the palm scanner before he sat down and pulled Ginny with him onto the couch. Sia and Nerine stood awkwardly now looking at him with his arm around another woman. Hermione decided to try and distract them for the moment.

"So...hello, we haven't been properly introduced," She turned to her left, "This is Neville Longbottom, formerly a Gryffindor and a sixth year like Harry and I," She motioned beside him, "This is Luna Lovegood, a former Ravenclaw, in fifth year with Ginny and Gabrielle. Gabrielle you seem to already know and Ginny was a Gryffindor as well. And you are?" She said extending her hand.

Nerine smiled bashfully and shook her hand, "My name is Nerine...world of the Devils...my father is Forbes, King of the Devils which makes me the Princess but please don't treat me any differently..." She looked at their surroundings, "Well any differently than can be helped. I hope we can be friends."

Sia grinned and took the hand as Nerine let go, shaking it enthusiastically, "My name is Lisianthus but its such a mouthful everyone calls me Sia! I love to cook and I'm good at sports, not very good with some of the academics though, not like Nerine, she's a genius at that stuff."

The girl looked down, "I'm not all that wonderful Sia, and I'm no good at sports...or cooking..."

Hermione smiled as Luna stepped forward and peered into Nerine's eyes as she shook her hand, "Did you know you have a small swarm of nargles following you?"

The girl jumped and looked around, "What? Where? I can't see them!"

Hermione put her face in her hand and counted to ten, "I'm sorry, Luna is a bit out there sometimes...her father owns a conspiracy and gossip magazine called the Quibbler. They run stories on these animals that nobody has ever heard of before and Luna is convinced that they are real."

Nerine shook her head and continued looking around, "No, I've heard about nargles since I was a small girl. They are attracted to magic and are like parasites, swarming and breeding in a person's aura. I didn't think they were real though! If your world has heard of them I'm not so sure!"

Sia freaked out and began beating the air around her head, "Do I have any? My mom used to scare me with those stories too! She said brushing your hair was the best way to keep them from draining your magic!"

Hermione was gobsmacked and Luna was simply smiling, "Actually I was told that they were harmless and that not everyone was able to see them. My mother always had a swarm around her as well, they seem to like Harry a good deal too but I've never noticed a lack of magical power in him. Actually I'd say he is one of the more powerful wizards in the school."

Neville looked at her quizzically, "You mean...you can see these things that are apparently a children s story from a world that you've never been to?"

Luna shrugged, "I see many things. The fact that others don't only makes them more special to me. My mother could see them as well. Daddy always played along like he could see them as well but he never could."

Harry tuned out their conversation for the moment, "Gin?" he said softly, "Everything okay?"

She shook her head, "I let it happen again Harry...I knew it felt wrong but I didn't recognize it for what it was! It's happening all over again!"

He hugged her close and shushed her, "Gin you couldn't have known what that necklace was, where did you get it anyway?"

She wiped her eyes before the tears could fall, "I was cleaning with Hermione and found it at headquarters...I thought it seemed to call to me but didn't say anything...and I stole it and wore it...and used it...and it used me!"

"Was it like last time? Did he actually get inside you?"

She was silent for a long moment, "No...not really... I could...feel the connection but it wasn't like before...not really."

"You know Gin, you resisted Tom the first time, you didn't kill anyone even though he was trying to make you, and you lasted all year before he finally was able to make his move. I think even though you didn't know what you were doing you were subconsciously fighting him off this time too. I don't need to know anything else except that you were stronger than him again."

"But I stole from you Harry...everything in that house is.."

"Belongs to Sirius, not me, and I doubt he even knew it was there, nobody did."

She sat up and looked away from him, "I...think I just need a shower...I feel dirty...and then a good night of sleep."

Sia leaned into their conversation, "You could take a shower OR you could use the Japanese style bath on the second floor. Would you like me to show you?"

Ginny jumped at the intrusion but quickly recovered, "I think...I'd like that. Is there a bathtub?"

The girl held out a hand and smiled encouragingly, "You have no idea, my daddy tends to go overboard with the Asian stuff if you hadn't noticed from his clothes. Come on, let me show you!"

Ginny looked at Harry who smiled and nodded, then she took the hand and Sia pulled her to her feet, "Alright guys, we have plenty of time to get to know each other. We are going to take a bath!"

Ginny's eyes widened, "We?" she gulped.

"I'll scrub your back if you scrub mine!" She then proceeded to pull the wide eyed girl along toward the staircase. "Goodnight Harry, I'm so happy to be here with you!"

Harry was being overloaded with info and the image of Gin and Sia in a bath together, his brain was currently having trouble with lack of blood flow. "Uh..you too."

She smiled again and disappeared up the stairs with the redhead in tow.

* * *

Upstairs, Sia led Ginny to a door in the middle of the balcony, pushing it open they came to a changing area. "There are baskets to put your dirty clothes in and fluffy white bath robes inside to wear back to your room." The girl began stripping and Ginny, still a bit dazed, looked on with wide eyes. Sia noticed her staring, "Is everything okay?"

"I...guess we are just a bit more reserved about nudity... I have 6 brothers and I'm the only girl, and even though I've shared a dorm with 4 other girls for five years nobody ever just...starts taking off clothes like this..."

Sia smiled, "To me it's just skin, at least around other girls, our world is a lot like Japan with community bathing being normal. My moms and I used to bathe together all the time. If you are uncomfortable I guess I can take my bath after you..."

"No!" Ginny interrupted, "I mean...I guess it's okay, it's just awkward...I guess." She began unbuttoning her blouse with a blush as the other girl removed her bra and unzipped her skirt.

Sia pulled off her skirt and slid out of her panties and, noticing that Ginny still seemed nervous, turned her back. "I'll go on in, you come along when you're ready." She slid the inside door open and steam rolled into the room before she disappeared into it and closed the door.

Ginny quickly removed her clothes and found a towel to wrap around herself. She slid the door open and walked through the steam into the other room. The floor and walls were glittering blue tile with the same dragons from the banner inlaid throughout in silver. There were four shower stalls with wooden benches on the wall just inside the door and a pool of steaming water large enough to hold eight people if you were friendly.

Sia was sitting on the nearest bench to the door, nude and proud, the shower was on and running down her body as well as filling a bucket at her feet. She had a bar of soap in one hand and a bottle of shampoo sat open on the shelf below the faucet. "Alright so you didn't chicken out on me!" Sia grinned, "The rules of the bath go like this. First we shower, then we bathe, that way the water in the pool stays clean for multiple people. The bath is more for relaxing than cleaning."

Ginny nervously made her way to the far shower and took a deep breath before closing her eyes and removing her towel. The steam helped her to feel less self conscious beside the stunning brunette but she was still feeling odd about bathing with another girl. She opened her eyes and stared straight ahead as she turned on the water and found the soap and the shampoo on the shelf and let the water run over her body. The hot water seemed to wash away some of her worry and doubt. "So um...you came all the way to our world just for Harry?"

Sia smiled and looked over at her, trying not to giggle at the poor nervous girl, "Yes, I met him many years ago on a trip to this world with my dad. He was so nice to me that day and totally captured my heart."

"I can understand that..." Ginny said quietly.

The brunette's eyes lit with understanding, "So are you and Harry..."

"What? No! Not really, I mean...it isn't like that...we aren't together or anything...but I've been in love with him since I was little. He is pretty famous in our world you know, Voldemort was winning the war and everyone was scared of him. Most people still can't say his name they are so scared, and it looked like it was all over. Then one night he attacked Harry's family...and Harry somehow survived a Killing Curse...threw it back at Voldemort and killed him. He's called 'The Boy-Who-Lived' and there are storybooks and dolls and everything...he didn't even know until he came to Hogwarts. My mum told me stories about the great Harry Potter and all his great deeds and adventures, fighting the bad guys and making the world a safer place, and most of those stories ended up with me marrying him... "

Sia pondered that for a moment before shrugging, "I didn't know that, the Harry I met was dressed like a homeless boy and I think his family was awful to him. But he found me crying and offered to be my friend, we spent the whole day together having fun until my Father showed up sick with worry about me. Harry doesn't know this, but he probably saved the world that day."

Ginny actually looked over at the girl before blushing and looking away, "Really? You think your dad would have destroyed our world looking for you?"

"I know he would have, he still wanted to but I told him about Harry and how much fun we had, and I told him I was going to marry that boy. My feelings never changed since that day."

Ginny was feeling rather pathetic now, this girl had fallen in love with the real Harry while she'd been fantasizing about the fake one. Her love was obviously more real and important than anything she could ever offer him. "I hope he picks you then...I think you deserve him."

Sia turned off the shower and stood up, "All clean, now its time to slide into the bath." She took Ginny's hand and pulled her away from her bench and toward the pool. It was set into the floor and had underwater benches around the perimeter and a staircase on the side nearest the door. Ginny nearly fell in trying not to look at the other girl but once her feet were in the water it seemed to pull her in, the heat felt absolutely wonderful as she sank up to her shoulders and sighed. Sia did the same once she saw that Gin was comfortable.

"I don't know if I deserve him more than anyone else though...Nerine has loved him as long as I have. We both do...I hope he chooses me but I'm just so happy being near him! It's like everything is better, more real now that we're together again."

Ginny nodded, "I understand that too. He saved my life my first year here, when I'm near him everything seems brighter and happier."

Sia slid across the tub next to Ginny and turned her back offering a wash rag, "Scrub my back for me?"

"O-okay," Ginny grinned and bared her shame and nervousness as she began washing the girls back.

* * *

Downstairs Gabrielle had claimed the couch next to Harry and Nerine sat nervously across from him on the other couch with Hermione. Luna and Neville sat in arm chairs facing the silent group.

"So..." Hermione began, breaking the silence, "Nerine...why don't you tell us how you met Harry?"

The girl smiled, "It was 8 years ago, do you remember Harry?"

He was caught off guard, he had suppressed much of his childhood and wasn't sure he was ready to start digging into it, "Of course!" He lied, Hermione shot him a look that said she could see right through him.

"My father had business in your world and it required that I come along, but I saw something I liked and by the time I turned around he was gone. I was scared and alone, crying on a swing in the park. Then Harry stumbled out of the bushes and stared at me for a long time. I don't know why he looked like he'd been hurt but he ignored his own pain and asked me what was wrong."

"That sounds like something he'd do, Harry has a bit of a saving people thing." Neville commented lightly.

Harry playfully took offense, "I do not have a saving people thing."

"Yes you do." Hermione and Luna said at the same time with a smile, Luna continued, "You see people in need and you ignore your own problems to help them out, like last year when you offered to help me find my lost things. It meant a lot to me that you would think of me when you had just lost your Godfather."

Nerine nodded and reached up to tuck a long strand of blue hair behind her ear, her red eyes locked with his, "Well that is what he did for me as well, he didn't worry about himself. All he knew was there was a little girl crying and he wanted to help. He asked me if I wanted to be his friend and then we spent the whole day together playing in the park until my father finally found me. I've loved him ever since."

"Well...who could just let a girl cry? Besides...I didn't have any friends so you were doing me a favor too." He replied logically, he could almost picture her sitting on the swing crying, the same swing he'd found her in singing a few days ago.

"We actually met on the train in first year but I don't think he or Ron liked me very much and I'm not sure I blame them. I never really had any friends in the Muggle world because I was an advanced student. They shunned me because I was intelligent so books became my friends. Ron said something awful to me on Halloween and I ended up crying alone in the girls room, just like I did in primary school. Then a troll of all things came in, and there I was; I had memorized all of my first year books and thought I was better at magic than everyone else, and I was reduced to a screaming mess on the floor while this troll did his best to bash me in with his club. Harry and Ron were evacuating to the tower when Harry remembered me. He pulled Ron along to save a girl he didn't even like, from a full grown troll."

Harry was shaking his head, "It wasn't like that Hermione, it was our fault you were in that bathroom in the first place...we saw the troll go into the bathroom and we locked it in! We didn't know you were still in there until we heard the screams. And if you remember correctly it was Ron that saved you by knocking the troll out!"

She smiled at him before turning back to Nerine, "Ron might have cast the spell, which I had to remind him of, but it was Harry who jumped on it's back and distracted it, it was Harry who stuck his wand up it's nose. Seeing Harry there cleared my head and gave me courage, I'd lost my wand at that point but if I could have found it I would have been able to cast the levitation spell. It was Harry who remembered me and it was Harry who really saved me that day. Those two haven't been able to get rid of me since."

"Um..." Neville began, "Well...Harry and I shared a dorm room...so..."

"And Neville won the last few house points we needed to win the Cup our first year. And it was because of Neville that I made it onto the Quidditch team my first year at Hogwarts. Neville was also right there with us at the Department of Mysteries last year when we faced Death Eaters. He didn't think twice about coming with me."

"I thought about it four or five times actually..."

"But you still came with me mate, I'll never forget that. Complete screw up that it was, I wouldn't have wanted anyone else with me."

"Harry helped me find my things when my housemates borrowed them, and he fed the thestrals with me. But I liked him because he had all those nargles in his aura just like my mum. I didn't have any friends until he and his friends took me in. It's wonderful to have friends." Luna said.

"It sounds like Harry is still just as amazing as the day I fell in love with him." Nerine said with a slight smile in his direction.

"But I'm not amazing, I'm just Harry."

She smiled at him again, "And I love just Harry, I hope you never change." Her comment hit him hard somewhere in his chest...hadn't he just been telling Hermione he wanted a girl who only saw 'Just Harry'? He was feeling confused, and warm and fuzzy, so he changed the subject.

"What about Gabrielle? I met her two years ago during the Triwizard Tournament but it sounds like you've known each other for a long time."

Gabrielle remained silent beside him so Nerine spoke for her, "When I was little Gabby was like my little sister. But someone close to both of us died and...she didn't handle it well. So she was sent to live with the Delacours. That is actually the business I was on with my dad when I got lost, we had just left her with them...and were taking a bit of a holiday in Britain."

Harry turned to the girl next to him, "So you've lived with the Delacours for 7 years?" She nodded silently, "And their memories were changed, kind of like how all the Muggles forgot about Gods and Devils coming to our world?" Another nod, "Did you know the whole time that you weren't really their daughter?"

She paused for a moment, remembering, then spoke softly in her french accent, "I knew..but I was young and Big Sister Fleur is like my real sister...like Big Sister Nerine is..."

"And you got to go to Beauxbattons? I thought your magic was different from ours?"

Nerine spoke up at that, "Well it is, our magic and that of the Gods is much closer to what you would call accidental magic, but we learn to control it from a very young age. We can do big things pretty easily, but it takes a long time, centuries for most, before we can do anything small. But magic is magic even if we have a lot more of it than wizards. Gabby was sort of a test, to find out if we could do your type of magic. She has a lot of power... maybe more than anyone else in both our realms, but she can't use it... so my father thought she might be able to learn to use a wand."

Harry looked back down at the blond doll clinging to his arm, "So you can use a wand? Obviously if you are taking your OWLs this year."

Gabby was quiet for a long moment, "I am not very good at it...but I can...would you like to see my wand?"

Everyone leaned forward in interest, and Harry nodded, so the girl fished inside her robes and pulled out a stubby white wand and handed it to Harry. "It is Yew and Phoenix Feather."

Harry dropped it like he'd been shocked and Hermione, Luna and Neville sat silently staring at it. "Is something wrong with it?" Gabby asked suddenly looking like a scared rabbit.

Harry shook off his initial reaction and picked it up gently off the carpet, "No, sorry, I was just surprised. You see I have a Phoenix Feather wand as well," he lied. Pulling out his own wand to show her, "It's interesting that we have the same core though isn't it?"

Gabby took it back and rolled it between her fingers gently, "I like it, it is pretty and it lets me do magic again."

"It's a beautiful wand Gabrielle." Hermione said to help cover Harry's gaffe.

Nerine could sense something wrong with the mood of the room and faked a yawn, "Oh my, it is getting late isn't it?"

Luna picked up her line of thinking, "It is, I think perhaps we should turn in."

"Sounds good to me, it's been a long day and we all have another long day tomorrow to look forward to." Harry agreed.


	9. Chapter 9

******Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, plot and interactions are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

******Hogwarts Shuffle! Chapter Nine**

******09/02 - Monday (First day of classes)**

A scream woke the entire tower who came running to find Harry on the floor beside his bed and Gabrielle in it, blinking at Ginny sleepily. "You...you...Harry...and..." Ginny stuttered.

"Gabby, what are you doing in here?" Nerine asked as if it were a normal occurrence.

"I like sleeping with Harry."

Neville looked skeptically at the boy on the floor and the doll of a girl in his bed, "Harry...you like them young huh?"

"I'M NOT A PEDOPHILE!" Harry yelled at him. "SHE'S FIFTEEN IN CASE YOU FORGOT!"

"Loud..." Gabrielle said making an annoyed face.

"Oh..right, sorry mate must not be awake yet..."

Harry was still waking up and realized he might have been a bit harsh, "No...no sorry Neville...it's a touchy subject."

"Can I sleep with Harry next?" Sia asked brightly.

"You...he..." Ginny continued.

Hermione sighed, "Harry I think you broke her."

"But I didn't do anything! She must have snuck in here again."

"Hands..." Ginny said with a blush.

"In any case, since we are awake I think we should get ready and grab breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day." Luna said and walked away to odd looks.

Her casual acceptance of the situation seemed to affect everyone else but Ginny and Harry. They returned to their rooms to get ready and Harry pulled himself up off the floor and put a hand on her shoulder. "Gin, you know she was here without me knowing right?"

Ginny nodded, "It was just...your hands were..."

"What my hands do in my sleep isn't really my fault is it?" He asked.

"Of course not, I just...freaked out a little, sorry. It's okay, you can sleep with whoever you want to...I mean you're practically engaged to the other two girls..."

"Gin..."

"Anyway!" She said smiling at him, "I agree with Luna, it's time for breakfast. Since you are up already I guess my job is done here." With that she turned and left the room leaving him feeling more than just a bit confused.

At breakfast they got to sit at the front table for the first time, the hall seemed eerily quiet as every eye in the room was on the new house table and it's occupants. Harry and to some extent Hermione were used to scrutiny but the others were showing signs of paranoia.

"Why do they keep staring at us?" Sia asked finally.

Hermione sighed, "Human nature is to fear or hate that which they do not understand, I'm sure that most of them are just genuinely intrigued by your presence at the school but a number of them are jealous or angry at the change to their normal lives."

"But we asked them not to treat us any differently." Nerine said with a frown.

Harry shrugged, "It will pass, you just have to learn to ignore it. Within a month it will become the new normal and most everyone will go back to ignoring us. Right now though we are the big gossip so of course we're under scrutiny. If you'd like my advice we should just ignore it and talk as if they weren't here."

"Since when do you act like people aren't talking about you?" Neville asked, "Every other year I watch you go through the agony of being center stage."

"Well not this year, I've got a new outlook on life and the ones that matter are the ones that will move on soon. The ones that don't, don't matter."

"If you say so..." Nerine said with a nervous look around the room before smiling at him, "So, we were asked about our schedules and both Sia and I wanted to be in every class with you..."

Sia joined in, pointedly ignoring the rest of the room, "The Headmaster was all for it but Professor McGonagall insisted on testing us. Afterward it was her suggestion that I stick with you but Nerine should stick with Hermione."

"Oh really?" Hermione asked, "My schedule is quite demanding."

Nerine blushed, "Arithmancy and Ancient Runes aren't that much different than subjects taught in our world. Actually many of the runes ancient civilizations use originated in one of our realms. Most of the deities in ancient religions were underpowered Gods or Devils who made their way to this world where they were far enough above average for magic users that they were worshiped. Uncle Aerus still tells stories about his time in Greece."

"Wait!" Neville exclaimed, "You're related to the Greek God of War? And he's still around?"

Nerine nodded, "We have very long lifespans...it's related to the amount of magic we have, the more powerful you are the harder it is on your body when you are young, but if you survive the growing up you can live for centuries or longer. Aerus is getting feeble in his old age, being underpowered his childhood wasn't all that difficult. Really he is probably average."

Luna was intrigued, "How was your childhood?"

"Luna I don't think that is a proper thing to ask a person." Hermione commented.

"No," Nerine said, "It's alright, everyone in our world knows how sick I was...I nearly died because I couldn't handle the amount of magic I was generating. My father was so proud, but scared to death for me..."

"Wow." Harry said, reflecting the mood of the humans at the table. A thought then occurred to him, "Didn't you say Gabby was probably the most powerful being in either of your realms?"

Sia jumped in as she grabbed some toast, "Yes but Gabby is a special case, she was very sick as well but when she stopped being able to use the magic she had it seemed to stop the sickness. But it looks like her aging stopped early because of it. She's stunted."

"Sia that isn't a very nice thing to say..." Nerine began

Gabby interjected, "It's okay, I like being small. I take up less space in bed that way."

There were blushes all around the table, most especially Harry who changed the subject quickly, "So you're going to be in classes with Hermione? That's good because I share several with her too, what about you Gabby?"

The girl shrugged, "I told them I liked Ginny so they let me go to class with her."

Ginny was caught off guard and choked a bit on her pumpkin juice before recovering with a smile at the small girl, "That's great though! It will be nice to keep you close."

"I agree." Sia said with a wink at Harry.

Dumbledore stood at the head table and made a motion for silence even though it was unneeded. "Students, a lovely day for learning and with it a bit of news that we neglected to announce last night with all the excitement. You will have all noticed the new face at the staff table, Professor Horace Slughorn." The headmaster turned and held a hand out to the new professor and the man stood and waved quickly before sitting back down. "Thank you Horace," he turned back to the hall, "Professor Slughorn was the former Potions Master at Hogwarts before Professor Snape, and after a brief decade of sabbatical has consented to return to his duties."

"What?" Harry asked quietly and the other humans shook their heads, not understanding either.

"Professor Snape has kindly agreed to become your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I hope you will all treat him with the same respect in his new subject. And now, Your Heads of House will distribute your schedules. I wish you all good day."

The Great Hall erupted into chatter at that and Harry, though a bit freaked out, was happy that the attention of the room had shifted. "Potions?" he asked.

"I can't believe Snape finally gets to teach Defense." Neville commented.

Harry sighed, "I just hope we don't have Defense on our first day with him, I'd like to extend my Snape free summer as long as possible."

Professor Dumbledore came down from his seat to the Royal table, "Alas I find myself without a fifth head, which is something I did not think I would ever hear myself say." He said with an amused smile, "And so, as is probably fitting for Royalty, I will be personally taking over the Head of House duties for this group. Please feel free to visit my office with any business you deem fit."

"That's great Professor, it is an honor to have you as our Head as well as our Headmaster." Hermione commented brightly.

"The honor is all mine I assure you, and now I believe you will be needing these," he pulled a stack of parchment from his robes and handed them out to each of the students before turning and heading toward the staff room.

"Looks like I get my wish," Harry said with a grin, "No Defense or Potions today, only Charms and...Herbology? Can that be right?"

Hermione reached across the table and pulled the schedule from his hands, "Well Harry, it is our first NEWT year, I'm sure all that time off will be used up doing homework and projects."

"Let me see yours!" He said reaching out and snagging the parchment she offered without argument. "When are you supposed to have time for homework and projects? You've got a solid block almost every day."

"Yes but you'll notice there are free periods built in to the schedule even for someone with a full load. I will have plenty of time for coursework outside of classes. You just have more, though I daresay you and Ron will need it with the way you study."

Ginny rolled her eyes, "Why did you have to suck the fun out of it for him? Meanwhile I've got a solid block from 9 til 3:30 today and that last class is double Defense with Slytherin!"

"It's our OWL year though, of course we're going to be busy." Luna said with a smile. "I have double Potions for my last class, I'll have to let you know how Professor Slughorn is as an educator."

Hermione looked at the girls schedule, "But you have free time this morning before Divination, maybe you can show Gabrielle around? Meanwhile we really should get going, we have Charms in ten minutes and that's several flights of stairs and an entire wing away from here."

Harry turned to the Princesses, "Alright then, are you ladies ready for your first day?"

"I'm ready for anything as long as I'm with you." Nerine said quietly.

"Ditto!" Sia said with a grin, "This will be fun!"

The group caught up to Ron on his way toward the stairs and back up to Gryffindor Tower. "Oi! Whats the hurry mate?" Harry called out.

"Oh, well..I figured I'd kip off for a spell before Charms...and I guess I figured you lot would have things to do without me...House things."

"Don't be a prat Ron, we're sleeping somewhere different that doesn't mean you aren't still one of us." Ginny chastised.

He looked guiltily at the ground, "You sure? I mean...I realized laying in bed last night that I might have made a horrible mistake. I know I've screwed up in the past and I don't want you guys to hate me or anything."

There was a cough from behind him and Harry followed Ron's line of site to the princesses, Nerine with a nervous smile and Sia waving cutely at him. "Oh! Um, Ron, I'd like you to meet Nerine and Sia. Ladies, this is Ron, he was my first wizard friend my own age."

"It's very nice to meet you Ron..."

Sia smiled, "Any friend of Harry's is a friend of ours right Rina?"

"Of course!"

Ron looked at them nervously before grabbing Harry and turning their backs to the group, "They're even more gorgeous up close! Have you picked one yet? Because if you don't want them I'd be happy to take one of them off your hands."

"Ron that's crude, and I thought you wanted me to date Ginny?"

The redhead smiled, "Even better, I'll take both of them."

"What the hell has gotten into you? Besides, if you haven't noticed I'm not exactly popular with the male population at the moment! You really want this headache?"

Ron looked over their shoulders and smiled, "I dunno mate, might be worth it for both."

The idea of Ron with either of the girls left Harry feeling...unpleasant.

"Ehem," Hermione cleared her throat loudly. "If we could take this back to the tower at least those of us not involved in your sidebar could sit down?"

"What? Oh..is that allowed?" Ron asked her.

"Is what allowed?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Well you know, for me to go to your tower. Not like we ever hang out with the Claws or Puffs now is it?"

"There was that one time in the Slytherin common room with Malfoy." Harry said with a smile.

"Yeah but we weren't wearing our own faces then were we?"

"Can we focus please?" Hermione pleaded, "Ron I'm sure there isn't actually a rule against it, and even if there were I would consider Royal Tower to be an embassy of sorts and thus we make our own rules inside it."

"Emba-what?" Neville asked.

Nerine chimed in, "Actually I hadn't thought of it that way but you are probably right. The Tower is the only place in this world we have officially claimed. I'm guessing both our fathers would agree and the Headmaster seems happy to go along with whatever they ask for."

"This making up our own rules thing might come in handy later too." Sia said with a grin.

Harry could almost see Hermione forcing herself not to put her head into her hand, "I was joking of course...but it is an interesting idea. In any case, shall we?"

"Yeah Ron, lets go see what you're missing!" Harry remarked jovially.

Ron pondered the question for a moment before losing his jovial look, "Harry...you know how I always get jealous and do something stupid to screw up our friendship for half a the term?"

This sudden turn in attitude and atmosphere threw Harry for a loop, "I don't..."

"No, seriously. Don't try to cover it up because you're afraid of losing me as a friend or some rot, okay? I know I'm a jealous git and I'm trying to change that. I had a lot of time to think...sitting in the Gryffindor common room alone last night. I've got issues I need to work through, and I will, because I'm tired of always fighting with you, putting Hermione in the middle of it, and having to eat my words down the road. I always complain about you being rich and famous, and now its my chance to prove I'm not just 'riding on your coat tails'."

The way Ron said that last, with air quotes no less, and the way Ginny suddenly looked down at the ground, told Harry that someone had probably said that to him a time or two.

"So...respectfully guys, I'm going to go back to the dorm and kip off. Then I'll see you in class and at meal times. If I come with you now...I might as well have joined Royal House in the first place, and I am already imagining just how amazing it is in a brand new tower with your own rooms...no...I think its better for all of us if I don't know what I'm missing." The redheads eyebrows were knotted together, as if he were straining to think so hard, and to say what he was thinking without messing it up.

"Ron..." Hermione began, not really able to counter any of his arguments and, in fact, rather surprised by just how much thinking he'd been doing.

He smiled, "Don't go trying to convince me otherwise Hermione, I think this is best for all three of us. Once I'm 'out of Harry's shadow' maybe we can be close friends again, but with everything that is happening...I just know I'm going to bugger it up again if I stay nearby. I'll see you all in a couple of hours."

Ron waved and left them standing in the hallway, Hermione and Neville with gobsmacked looks, Ginny looking guilty and Harry looking..introspective.

Sia broke the silence with a cheerful voice, "Who wants to play cards until class time?"

The rest of her housemates shook out of their strange encounter with Ron and agreed to spend a bit more time relaxing before classes officially started for all of them.

After dinner the Royal's went back to their house and collapsed onto the furniture, Harry had taken one of the plushy armchairs near the fireplace and Neville the other one, the girls were on the couches facing each other and talking animatedly. Harry sighed and put an arm over his eyes.

"Alright there mate?" Neville asked quietly, eyeballing the giggling girls.

Harry raised his arm just enough to peek at the only other male in the room, "I'll be fine, its just maddening that this stuff keeps happening to me!"

Neville smirked, "One should only be so lucky, if you ask me I think Fate is trying to make up for using you as a chew toy for the last decade."

"Neville!" Harry said in an overly dramatic shocked tone, sitting up to face him, "Did you just make a joke?"

"What?" Neville asked defensively, "I have a sense of humor!"

"Yes, but for five years you've been so quiet. I'm not sure I shouldn't check you for polyjuice." He said eyeballing the other boy.

"Come off it! ...I just...what you said before...about wanting me to fight with you. That really means a lot to me Harry. I had to let it sink in before it really hit me, but I'm your man Harry."

Harry had to suck in a short breath and nodded, "I meant it."

The boys sat quietly for a bit while the girls kept talking, Hermione and Ginny were talking on one couch with Gabrielle while Sia, Nerine and Luna were on the other.

"So how did you like your first day at Hogwarts Gabby?" Hermione asked.

"There are lots of stairs." Gabrielle said quietly and both other girls giggled.

"There are but as a bonus they keep you in shape, I'm not sure how anyone can be overweight in this castle." Ginny remarked, "I mean, Professor Sprout I can understand. She's mostly on the first level all day or at worst, down in the dungeons where the Hufflepuff common room is. But even she isn't really overweight. Not like Crabbe and Goyle."

Hermione nodded, "I think those two have a thyroid problem or something, we've all seen how Ron eats and he just gets taller, not wider."

Gabrielle was sitting quietly and playing with her hands, looking up at Harry every once in a while. "Did you like your classes?" Hermione asked.

The girl nodded, "I like Professor Kitty, Professor Bat is scary though."

Hermione looked at the other girls wide eyed, Ginny was trying desperately not to laugh and was turning rather bright red. "That's Professor McGonagall Gabby...don't let her hear you call her that!" Ginny lost it.

"I notice you didn't defend Snape! You know we all think it every time he comes flapping into the room!"

The brunette rolled her eyes, "Honestly..."

On the other couch Luna was having much the same conversation with the other girls, though they had already left off of classwork and onto a certain green-eyed boy.

"So you both must love Harry very much, you came to the Human realm just for him right?" Luna asked.

Both girls blushed and Sia spoke first, "Well..he made quite the impression on us."

Nerine nodded, "I haven't stopped thinking about him for years...its still like a dream to be here."

Luna nodded, "I could tell when you first saw him that all you wanted to do was run up to him and scream something about how happy you were to see him while covering him with kisses and hugging him like a bugbear."

The girls blushed again, "We both wanted to...but we thought that might cause problems for Harry if we did it in public." Nerine said quietly.

"Well we aren't in public now are we?" Luna asked. Three sets of eyes landed on Harry all at once.

Harry gulped as a sensation passed over him, Neville couldn't help but notice his shiver. "You look like someone just walked over your grave...or maybe its a little more pleasant?" He asked looking up at the girls staring at Harry on the couch.

Harry shook off the feeling and leaned toward Neville conspiratorially, "First let me clarify, I never wanted this..I thought I'd be lucky to find one girl who loved me just for me..someday. Someday far off in the future after my life settled down, if I was lucky enough to live past Voldemort."

Neville sensed a "but" and made a "go on" motion with his hand.

"But between just you and me...I'm sixteen and male...the idea has certain...charm."

Neville laughed quietly at that, "Only you could handle it Harry, I've got a hard enough time with just finding one girl and even if I had more than one interested I don't think I'd be able to so much as think through the possibility of both without my head exploding." Harry noticed Neville's eyes drifting toward a certain ex-Ravenclaw.

"You know Nev, she's very perceptive. I'd bet she already knows you like her and is just waiting for you to get the wrackspurts out so you'll ask her."

The other boy blushed slightly and changed the subject, "SO! Uh...so Malfoy hasn't been his usual prat of a ponce this year. What do you think changed?"

Harry was momentarily stunned that he hadn't even given the Slytherin a second thought, "You know you're right? Maybe he's grown out of it?" The two shared a glance and grinned, "Nah!" they said together.

"He's probably plotting something nefarious and knows better than to egg you on and tip you off."

Harry nodded, "You're probably right, I guess we'll just have to keep an eye on him and the rest of the Death Nibblers."

"Death Nibblers?" Neville asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Wanna-be Death Eaters in training, Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, Parkinson...I heard all of their fathers names when He came back. Maybe we should take a wait-and-see approach this year, it has to be hard having Death Eaters in the family and basically having it assumed that you want to be one too. I think for once I'll let the Headmaster handle it. Lord knows I've got enough going on this year without worrying about them."

Neville nodded and both boys looked up in surprise as the Princesses got up off the couch and approached Harry with determination. Harry gulped again.

The girls walked sedately about half the way to him before they shared a grin and broke into a run, jumping into his lap and wrapping their arms around him. They each kissed him on the cheek, blushing just as hard as he did but not getting up.

"Harry I missed you so much! You don't know how happy I am to finally be with you again!" Sia said with a grin.

The boy stumbled through his words, "But its only been half an hour or so? You were both with me almost all day!"

Nerine looked down shyly, "We mean in general...Harry. Eight years is a long time to wait."

"I-I...I guess I can understand that...um...ladies..." Harry was having a difficult time controlling his bodies reaction to having two very beautiful and soft girls in his lap, he was thankful they were on either leg instead of against the bulge in his pants. "But uh...do you think...not that this isn't really nice...because it is...but um..do you think you could get up? I need to uh...go take a shower!" He latched on to the first thing that popped into his head.

Sia and Nerine hopped up and helped him out of his seat while Ginny stared at the three from across the room. No matter how she tried, apparently she couldn't just let go of her jealousy. Luckily Harry was too flustered to pay attention to her as he bolted up the stairs and into his room.

******A/N: Sorry this wasn't better, but I think I just need to move on to the next chapter. Some time skips should be ahead as I don't want to write a diary, but it might move a little slow for a while til I reach a point that everything is stable enough to do so. **

******Maybe I should just quit trying to write any plot and jump straight to the lemons?**

**Nah!**


	10. Chapter 10

******Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, plot and interactions are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

******Hogwarts Shuffle! Chapter Ten**

******09/07 - Saturday (First weekend of term)**

Things had settled into a pattern by midweek, Gabby had thankfully learned to sleep in her own room most nights though she still got up in the early hours and crawled into bed with Harry after having a bad dream. Harry knew what that was like and as long as he was aware of her being there and why, he let it slide. Even Ginny seemed to understand that once he'd explained it to her.

Classes were a blur but nothing really worth commenting about, to the Hogwarts veterans it was business as usual, minus the normal tension of someone or something trying to kill Harry. In the mornings Ginny would wake Harry (and Gabby) with a smile as she set out his clothes for the day, at meals she would always seem to beat him to fixing his plate with all his favorites. Sia and Rina had a bad habit of feeding him off their plates as well which always seemed to make Ginny jealous, but it was only for a split second and she had learned to mask it well with smiles.

The male population of the school, while still obsessed with Harry's girls, had learned their lesson for the most part about fanatical behavior. Harry had only had to hex two Ravenclaws when he found them cornering Ginny on the way to the Great Hall for dinner. Ginny let it be well known that she could take care of herself but secretly she greatly enjoyed him playing the white knight for her.

There had been one instance where it was actually Rina who came to Harry's rescue on their way to the potions classroom. Though her response to something Harry would rather have ignored was...troubling.

"_Potter! Who do you think you are, hoarding all the best looking girls to yourself?" A Slytherin seventh year had accosted him. He had backup in the form of two more sixth years, but Harry would have talked his way out or, if need be, cursed his way out and settled things on his own._

_The problem was that he was walking with Nerine, Sia had a detention with Snape so they were on their way to pick her up. While the man was finally teaching his preferred subject, Defense Against the Dark Arts, he was still a potions master and kept a lab in the dungeons for his use. Sia had been talking in class and was assigned to scrub out some of his messier experiment failures. _

"_Guys, you should know by now I didn't seek this out, and honestly I don't see what they see in me either. But it's their choice and I back them even if I don't know what I'm going to do yet." Harry said, trying to diffuse the situation._

"_Harry..." Rina said quietly, "I don't like what they are saying."_

"_Listen here Potter, you may be big stuff with the Headmaster but we don't buy into your bull. What makes you so special that you get to be the King of Devils or Gods? It's a crock of shite is what it is! Why don't you let me show her how a real man can treat a lady?"_

"_You..." Nerine said quietly but instantly all of their eyes were on her, softly glowing with electric blue magic, "You insulted Harry...You aren't worth the air you waste...perhaps I'll relieve this plane of existence of your burden..."_

"_Rina!" Harry said trying to calm the girl down, he could feel the malevolent energies in the air and really, REALLY didn't like what he felt happening._

"_Harry, would you please duck. This will get messy."_

_Harry tried again to reach out to the girl but was stopped cold by her glare at the other boys, he ducked down by the wall and begged her, "Rina, please don't kill them..."_

"_What is this little bitch going to do to us Potter? I'll teach her her place!" The seventh year said as he drew his wand._

_Harry gave up and covered his head as the girl lifted off the ground thanks to the crackling magic that surrounded her. _

"_I'll return you to the elements you are made of, removing the hydrogen and oxygen leaving only carbon dioxide to pollute the air. Even that is too much of a burden on this world for your lowly lives!"_

_A great blue fireball rocked the dungeons, blowing out an entire side of the castle as the boys screamed and begged for mercy. As the smoke cleared and the last bits of daylight shone through the new hole she'd created Nerine drifted lazily back to the ground before her magic subsided and she turned, smiling to Harry. "I'm sorry, I may have gotten a little carried away there...they really shouldn't insult you like that..it isn't very nice..." She said suddenly shy and quiet again. Harry didn't know whether to be freaked out or proud, he did know there was going to be a reckoning for destroying part of the castle._

"_Potter!" Snape called as he came out into the hall with bits of stone still falling from the ceiling, "I'll see you expelled for this!"_

_Sia just sighed from behind him, "Oh Rina, what did you do this time?"_Harry, Rina, Sia and Snape now sat in Dumbledore's office with the King of Gods and the King of Demons, discussing what had happened.

"Now see here Headmaster! This girl nearly destroyed the entire castle! She's obviously too dangerous a creature to keep here!"

Forbes was crying...he was so proud! "Oh Rina! You were magnificent! You didn't even kill them!"

The girl blushed and looked down, "Harry asked me not to..."

Dumbledore was all twinkles as he observed the scene, "Now your majesty, a great deal of damage was caused and three lives were nearly taken."

The King of Devils laughed, "I know, isn't it wonderful? Rina controlled her magic so well! If this had been a year ago I doubt this castle or that charming little village would still be standing." He pulled her into a hug, "Daddy is so proud of you princess!"

She blushed and looked away again, "Daddy..."

Snape interjected, "This is not about the damage that could have been caused, three boys were nearly killed! Hell, all of us were nearly killed! Headmaster I implore you to expel these girls as well as Potter for this travesty!"

"Now Severus, she appears to be quite sorry for her outburst, in the end there was no harm done."

"NO HARM? The dungeons lay in ruins! The castle is only still standing thanks to Magic!" Snape screamed.

Eustus nodded, "Accidents happen, and she controlled her response rather well. As it is my Magical Repair team should already have finished restoring everything. In fact I bet they made it better than it was before!"

"As I said this is NOT about the amount of damage!" the overgrown bat shouted, spittle flying. Harry noticed a dull blue glow at Rina fingertips and quickly took her hand in his, the girl blushed scarlet all the way to the tips of her rather long ears, and the glow left her immediately, but neither let go.

"Severus, I think in the interest of inter-world Cooperation we will have to chalk this up to a misunderstanding. As I understand the three Slytherins are in good health, and as King Eustus has said, there is no damage done." Albus said with a grin. Harry had noticed that the old man had slowly been returning to the grandfatherly figure he remembered from his first year, rather than the all powerful wizard that faced Voldemort down at the ministry last year.

"I demand that they be removed from this school!" Severus stated.

"And I have received many such demands for your removal Severus, yet you still remain. Let us look past our past mistakes and try to move forward. The knowledge of what we have done in the past should temper our actions moving forward. Don't you think?" His eyes were in full sparkle mode as he looked over the tops of his glasses at the man.

Professor Snape slumped as he was reminded of his own failings and the fight died in him, "Very well...headmaster."

"Oh my little Nerine-bug I'm so proud of you!" Forbes said crying again as he hugged his daughter.

"Daddy please stop, you're embarrassing me!"

Back in the Royal Tower the kings pulled out Sake and Rum, the elves provided snacks and a Wireless was playing on full blast in the corner. Both kings were drunk and declaring how proud they were of their daughters, causing no end of embarrassment.

Hermione seemed quite put out at having the alcohol in the common room, luckily none of the students were imbibing so she let it slide. After all, this was their embassy so the normal rules didn't quite apply. Luna was talking quietly with Neville in a corner of the room and Harry sat on the couch with Nerine and Sia on either side of him. Ginny and Gabby were on the other couch, giggling at something or another they were talking about and stealing glances in Harry's direction. Harry himself was fighting a blush as both girls were wrapped around his biceps, their breasts pressing into him.

"Harry my boy!" Eustus cried loudly, "Have you decided to marry my daughter yet? It's obvious she loves you so much! I'm sure she'd be happy to show you just how much if you let her!"

"Daddy!" Sia said with an outraged blush.

"Come now Eustus, Nerine defended his honor so readily and so well! Obviously he is going to take her to his bed tonight." Forbes replied before taking another shot of alcohol.

"Daddy...please..." Nerine blushed, neither girl let go of Harry though.

"So have you decided yet Harry?" Eustus asked, suddenly very intent.

"Um...your majesty I..." he began.

Eustus interrupted him, "Oh no, that won't do Harry. You still won't call me by name? Or call me Daddy! That won't do!"

"Daddy..." Sia hissed angrily.

"What about Rina, Harry? I know you like her, I can see it in your eyes."

"My Lord I..."

"No! You must call me Daddy as well! I can't have my son referring to me as 'Your Majesty' or 'My Lord' all the time!"

"Your Majesty, that's enough!" Rina cried out. Her father cringed and quickly went to his knees in front of her.

"Nerine-bug, please..don't call me that! Call me daddy. Please?"

"Father, that will be enough drinking for you tonight." Sia said staring down the larger man.

He cried and fell to his knees as well, "No! Sia please, you can't do this to me."

Rina sniffed and looked away from the cowering king at her feet, "I won't call you Daddy again for two weeks if you don't stop. I think it's time for both of you to leave."

"Yes Father, I think the party is over for you. Leave us and Harry alone. Now!"

Both kings stood up and looked around in panic, "But SiSi..don't you love your Daddy anymore?" Eustus asked in distress.

"I'll love you more when you leave! And don't just pop in on us whenever you want either. Send a message warning us ahead of time." Sia said with a scowl. "I'll talk to you later."

Forbes waved and the Wireless shut itself off leaving the room suddenly quiet. "Rina..."

"Goodnight Father." The blue haired girl replied icily.

Both kings grabbed hold of each other crying, "They don't love us anymore!"

Sia got up off the couch and began pushing her father towards the door, Rina followed and did the same. As they neared the entryway both kings looked at them pitifully. "Please don't call me that SiSi."

The Princess of the Gods looked up at her father and kissed him on the nose, "Goodnight Daddy." His eyes instantly brightened.

"We'll let you know when it's okay to come back." Nerine said as she gave her own father a hug, "Goodnight Daddy."

The kings looked at each other and smiled, "They still love us!" They hugged and cried as the girls pushed them out the door, sealing the portal behind them and walking back over to Harry, plopping down on either side of him and retaking his arms, just as he was calming down.

"Wow..." Neville said from the corner, "You really have them wrapped around your fingers don't you?"

Sia grinned evilly, "Daddy is wonderful, but he is overly demonstrative."

Rina nodded, "We are only children, so when they grow tiresome we have to remind them of it."

Ginny was laughing and Hermione looked thoughtfully at her, "Does that work on your dad Ginny?"

She nodded, "I'm his little firefly, I'm the only girl so I think it works just as well. You should try it sometime."

"I don't know if my mother would be proud of me or berate me for behaving like that...although there was this book I wanted to buy next summer..."

Harry looked pitifully up at Neville, "Does that work for guys too? I never got to try it."

Neville shook his head, "I don't think so, but then, I don't think my Gran would ever fall for something like that even with my Dad."

Ginny grabbed Gabby by the hand and announced to the room, "We're taking the bathroom, no peeking!" She said the last with a mischievous look at Harry before dragging a smiling Gabby up the stairs with her.

Harry watched the odd pair go in contemplation, they had been getting closer over the past week and he approved, but it was strange how quickly Gabby seemed to go from a rival to a best friend for the other girl. The analytical part of him figured that whether she was doing it consciously or not, she was probably trying to befriend the smaller girl because she knew it would make Harry happy, rather than being jealous of her.

There wasn't even anything to be jealous of, not really. Yes, there was a part of him...an admittedly growing part, that enjoyed the way her small body belied her age. When she would climb into his bed after a bad dream he knew part of him enjoyed it more than just helping a friend out. When they were alone Gabby wasn't so shy and quiet any longer, he could actually see her personality, and had even managed to get her to smile once.

Thinking about the girl lead him to questions he'd been meaning to ask, "Nerine?"

The devil princess looked up at him from where she had begun studying Ancient Runes with Hermione, a smile spreading slowly across her face the way it did every time he said her name. "Yes Harry?"

He got up from his chair and sat on the couch as he motioned her over to him, the other girls followed them and sat down, while Luna found that she had nowhere left to sit and decided to sit in Nevilles lap instead causing the boy to blush. "You probably know Gabby the best right?"

She nodded, "The research she was involved in took place in the Devil realm, we grew up like sisters.."

"Was she always so...quiet?" he asked.

Sia shook her head on his other side, drawing his attention, "I remember visiting and playing with her like any other little girl. It wasn't until...well until..."

"Until someone close to both of us died..." Nerine said looking sad. Any time one of the girls looked down Harry couldn't help himself but to try to make it better. The quickest way to do so was to pull them into a hug, which he did. The girl blushed hard but he left an arm behind her, rubbing small circles into her back and causing her to shiver. She didn't pull away.

"So she was normal...can you tell us more about how she...was...created?" he struggled with wording the last part, having learned this whole thing was a sensitive subject.

Hermione had somehow acquired a notebook and biro, and was waiting anxiously to take notes. She had heard about a magical research project and was itching for the details.

"I don't know if we can tell you about it Harry..." Sia said apologetically.

Nerine shook her head, "Actually, I asked daddy earlier if I could tell all of you. I thought you deserved to know the truth..."

"What is the truth?" Hermione asked quietly.

Nerine began, "The power of the Gods and Devils is great, destruction on a massive scale, large scale magical construction, and amazing healing abilities. But some things still remain outside of our ability, namely stopping several terminal conditions and being able to bring back the dead..."

Sia nodded, "Because so many children with great magical potential never live past their tenth birthday, finding a way to bring back the dead was one of the major reasons for this project."

"There were three beings created using the best of the Gods and the Devils abilities. The first, they took someone who already had passed her magical maturity and had a very strong ability, and they infused her with extremely large amounts of magic." Rina continued.

"But because her body was not made to channel that much magic she lost control...she...she blew up..." Sia said looking a bit disgusted with her worlds research.

"Wait! Blew up?" Harry asked in outrage.

Sia nodded sadly, "When she lost control of her magic, she took out the entire research facility and all of the staff. The research had to start over almost from scratch."

"Merlin..." Neville said, sitting back on the couch. Luna lost her balance and fell back against him, causing him to catch her around the waist so she wouldn't tumble off the side. Both blushed but neither said anything.

Nerine took a quick breath and looked down, "The second one...they took someone who already had amazing magical potential and cloned her before she had reached maturity, so that all the magic they infused her with would have the chance to strengthen her body."

"Liquoris." Sia said softly, unshed tears in her eyes as she looked at Nerine.

Luna immediately understood, "She was your clone, your sister."

Rina nodded, "My twin, she was amazing. We grew up as sisters, but she was always gone being tested, poked and prodded. I knew how much the tests hurt her but she was always so loving and happy with me. I loved her every bit as much as if we had been born together."

Harry gave her another hug, this time leaving his arm around her for comfort, causing her to smile and lean into him. "So is she the one...?" he trailed off, not wanting to say it.

"Yes, Liquoris was stronger than me, but I got so sick...she was even worse off. Our fathers were afraid they were going to lose her, it seemed obvious that simply infusing that much magic into anyone, even a clone, wasn't going to work. So they created Gabby, using genes from both of our royal families."

Hermione's head shot up, "So you mean Gabby is a sister to both of you?"

Sia nodded and smiled as she heard two giggling voices echoing from the bathroom upstairs, "Yes, I always wanted a sister and while Rina and I are very close, it wasn't the same until she came along."

"But," Hermione interjected, "If they didn't create her until they knew Liquoris might not make it then how is she 15?"

"She was grown to the physical age of ten at the research facility, and then allowed to grow normally so she would go through her own magical maturity. As far as law and magic are concerned she should be considered 15." Sia answered.

"She should be..." Nerine said softly, Hermione didn't miss that but didn't say anything yet. "So Gabby grew up in the facility, Liquoris was allowed to go back and forth but Gabby only got to stay there. Sia and I would visit when I wasn't deathly ill. Gabby see's Liquoris as her big sister even more than either of us, so it was harder on her when she...passed on."

"I'm so sorry, I haven't lost a sister but I lost my parents...and my godfather...I know it must have been hard." Harry said quietly, now getting his own hug from Sia on his left and Nerine on his right. He cheered visibly at the contact.

"Thank you Harry, it wasn't as hard for me as it was for Gabby though. After Liquoris...passed on...Gabby went into her shell. Her power seemed to lock itself away and her aging stopped along with it. The tests showed she was nearly as far above us magically as my father is above the headmaster. But before she could go through her maturity it all just became muted and quiet. They think that our magic is closely linked to our emotions...and as she was emotionally stunted so too was her magic. That's why they sent her to live with the Delacour family. They hoped having a normal life would bring her out of her shell."

Hermione took offense, "That's horrible though! From what you said about the first girl, and after seeing what you did to the castle just because those boys were being mean to Harry...its like she's a walking nuclear weapon just waiting to go off! And what would they do if she suddenly had her magic back?"

Sia looked at the girl sadly, "They would take her back to the facility and start testing again."

Harry had that look in his eyes again, that dull glow was starting to build at the thought of them taking Gabby away to treat her like a lab rat. Nerine quickly began rubbing his back and speaking quietly to him until he calmed down. "I won't let them take her..."

Nerine spoke to the group again, "Part of the reason she was allowed to stay here though, is because she showed so much interest in you Harry. They think you might be able to bring her back out of her shell, in fact you already have. She hadn't smiled in years before now."

Harry got up and began pacing, "That's not right though! How can they use me like some sort of test environment, let me care about her, and then plan to take her away when her magic wakes back up! We can't let that happen!"

"I agree with you Harry, I always hated what they did to those girls. But you have to understand, if she gets her magic back she will likely go through maturity and if she gets sick...or worse loses control of her magic. The facility is the best place for them to treat her." Sia told him.

He deflated and plopped back down onto the couch between them. "This all seems so surreal. I thought my life was bad but at least I had a chance at a loving family, she was created with the soul purpose of being a test subject."

"What can we do?" Hermione asked the girls, pleadingly.

Both princesses shrugged, "We hope for the best, and we love her the way she deserves." Sia said.

Nerine nodded, "She's our sister, like Liquoris, and I want her to know we love her. Even if that's all she has to hold on to when they take her back to the facility..."

"This sucks..." Neville said, unknowingly pulling Luna closer to him who smiled softly at his embrace.

"She's already becoming a powerful witch though, maybe her true power won't resurface and they won't have to take her away?" Hermione asked.

"I don't think we'll be that lucky." Luna said into the silence that followed Hermione's hopeful statement.

Upstairs Ginny and Gabby undressed quickly and ran into the bathroom, forgoing the showers and jumping straight into the pool. Well, Ginny did, Gabby slowly followed her in with her thinking face on.

"Ginny? You are Harry's servant?"

The girl went wide eyed before she giggled a bit, "No...I mean...I serve him because I want to, not because he makes me. But I guess it could still look like that. He saved my life and I'm trying to repay him any way he will let me. Making his plate to eat and setting out his clothes is the least I can do.."

"Serving Harry, makes you happy?" Gabby asked as she floated on her back in the hot water, her small breasts not even bobbing in the current the way Ginny's did.

Ginny blushed and looked away for a moment, "I don't know...I think happiness is being needed and wanted by the ones we love. I love Harry and I want to make him happy, when he lets me do these things for him it makes me feel warm and happy inside too. I'd do anything for him."

Gabby nodded and went quiet for a while, "I want Harry to need me too. Big sister always talked about him and she was always so happy just thinking of him. I am happy thinking of Harry."

Gin was caught now between wanting Harry to herself, and wanting the girl she'd somehow begun thinking of as family if not as a little sister, to be happy as well. "I think he does need you, I've noticed he doesn't have bad dreams when you sleep with him."

Gabby nodded, "Mine too, I like sleeping with Harry...but sometimes I don't want to sleep...I like it when he touches me."

Ginny blushed at the admission, but was feeling a connection to the girl. "I-I like it when he touches me too...I understand..."

"You have bad dreams too." Gabby said matter of factly.

Either the water was too hot, or Ginny was mortally embarrassed as she blushed even deeper, "Yes..." She answered quietly.

"You should sleep with Harry when you have bad dreams, its very nice."

Ginny began giggling at that, wondering if the girl was trying to set her up, "Then maybe we should both sneak in to his bed next time. Try to get him to touch us..."

Gabrielle surprised Ginny by giggling loudly with a devilish smile on her face, "I think we should, but I'm not sure Harry will survive."

Ginny splashed the girl, who splashed her back in outrage and the two started a war, splashing and laughing together for the next five minutes before they tired out and both floated together in the middle of the pool. Ginny reached out and grabbed Gabby's hand and squeezed it. "I'm very happy you are here Gabby, I'm sorry if I was scary before."

"Not scary, just loud." Gabby said in monotone as she thought hard about it. Both girls began giggling again and couldn't stop, as one would start to subside the other would burst out and they both swallowed a fair amount of water trying to catch their breath.

******A/N: Sorry to those who got ALLBOLD chapters, I've figured out the bug I think. I know it was annoying (happened to chapter 10 also). Should be fixed in 9 and 10, and going forward.**

******OMG another chapter! I'm writing these one at a time now, I've run out of backlog incase you didn't notice. While Shuffle! didn't win the contest of what I'd write next, its the one I have been trying to focus on anyway and I'm glad to get another couple of chapters out. Hopefully I've gotten past my writers block.**

******Someone commented on not knowing enough about the crossover to help, and not having long enough chapters or them coming out fast enough to get addicted. I'd like to say I'm going to write them longer and faster to solve that problem, but I can't promise.**

******I'll try though.**

******GML**


	11. Chapter 11

******Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, plot and interactions are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

******Hogwarts Shuffle! Chapter Eleven**

******09/20 - Friday Night (third weekend of term)**

Harry, by necessity, had returned to being a light sleeper the same way he was when he was younger. Not being up and ready to get breakfast going when Vernon opened your door made for a very nasty wake up. At least, he reflected, he was a light sleeper now for entirely more pleasant reasons.

The door opened and a sliver of light appeared before someone stole into the room and closed the door quietly. He felt the girl crawl into his bed and lay staring at him from a few inches away nervously.

"Another bad dream Gabby?"

The presence went still for a full minute before she leaned in closer and kissed him quickly, surprising him. They then dug their face into his chest and began crying softly, Harry traced her outline and realized she was much bigger than Gabrielle. He grabbed his wand off the bed stand and cast a silent Lumos, finding a crying redhead curled up next to him.

"Gin..." he said softly.

She looked up at him begging with her tear filled eyes to let her stay and he nodded, settling back into his pillow and pulling her closer to him. They lay like that for a while until her silent sobs slowed to nothing and he tried again.

"Bad dream?" he asked softly.

She nodded her head and pulled him closer, "Gabby...said it would help..." she started to pull away, trying to sit up, "I'm sorry Harry...I'll go now..."

He pulled her back down to him and wrapped his arms around her, pinning her in place. "It's alright Gin, I want to help if I can. Why don't you tell me about it?"

She allowed her body to relax into him, almost crying in happiness before she recounted the dream, "I was watching while my body...attacked you. Tom had taken control of me and was casting the Cruciatus on you. I was trying to scream at him to stop but he only laughed at me...and you kept asking me 'Why Gin...why?'" The sad tears had returned, and she loved him all the more for pulling her closer.

"Shh...it was just a dream. We both know the diary was destroyed, and the other horcrux is in the Devil realm somewhere being studied. He can't hurt you anymore, it was just a bad dream."

She shook her head, "But it was too real Harry...it could have happened...all because I was a useless little girl who was taken with a boy in a diary. I'm weak Harry...I'm a danger to you and everyone else. I should transfer back to Gryffindor...or maybe Slytherin..."

He sat up a little, giving her room to fall to her back so he could face her, though they could barely see each other in the muted gas lamplight. "Gin you aren't useless, and you aren't a danger to anybody...at least not unless you mean it. I want you to stay here...you're Gabby's best friend, what would she do without you?"

"She'd be fine as long as she had you, nobody needs me...I have to force you to let me help you...its not fair."

He tensed a little at that, "Gin...you can...keep helping me however you want to. If this situation weren't so screwed up..."

She put a finger on his lips and smiled, "I know Harry...but I just want to be around you...and do things...for you..." her smile turned mischievous, "however I want to?"

He gulped as his heart started to race, but nodded to her question. The girl, still with tear streaks on her face, ran a hand down his chest to the sudden bulge in his boxers and ran her fingernails along his length. Causing him to catch his breath as they raked over the tip. She looked up into his lust filled eyes questioningly and he nodded.

Gathering her courage she got up and straddled his ankles as she liberated his engorged member from its binding and began stroking it softly. She dipped her head and licked the pre-cum off the tip, getting another shiver from him, before taking him into her small mouth. He groaned and forced his head back into the pillow as his whole body tingled every time her tongue moved. She made a little slurping sound as she pulled off then dove to take as much of him into her mouth as she could, wrapping her hand around the base of his cock and stroking in time with her head. It took him almost no time at all to go over the edge, "Gin...I'm gonna...you need to stop..."

She looked up at him, eyes shining silvery in the lamplight, and smiled around his cock but didn't let up at all. He exploded into her mouth, and she drank from him hungrily, swallowing every drop until he collapsed back on the bed drained. She crawled up his body and burrowed into his shoulder, smiling lovingly up at him.

"Thank you." She said quietly as she drifted off to sleep.

In a daze, Harry only said, "You're welcome" before he too fell asleep.

-~Hogwarts Shuffle!~-

The tower awoke to a scream, which hadn't happened in nearly 3 weeks. As Neville rolled over in his bed, and the Princesses smiled to themselves before getting comfy for another hour of sleep, Luna walked in to Harry's room to find a stoic faced Gabby standing beside Ginny, who was sprawled out on the floor, and Harry who was squinting sleepily up at her from his pillow.

"What's this about then?" Luna asked with a smile.

Gabby turned to her while Ginny blushed beet red on the floor, "Nothing, I just thought it was my turn to be loud." She turned back to the bed, "Good morning Harry, good morning Ginny."

"Good morning?" Harry asked.

Ginny wasn't letting her get away with it though as she shot up off the floor to chase a grinning Gabrielle out the door. Luna smiled down at the still half asleep boy. "You can go back to bed Harry, looks like you had a long night."

Harry ignored the comment and rolled over, returning to his dreams.

-~Hogwarts Shuffle!~-

Harry was relaxing on the couch, thinking how nice it was to finally just hang loose. Schoolwork was stressful, Snape was a bastard as always (he'd had to restrain Nerine on more than one occasion), Potions was actually almost fun with Professor Slughorn except that the man seemed to favor him a bit too much due to his fame. The weekends were really the only time he got to relax, and even then he felt like he didn't know where the last two had gone. He was also thankful that the Kings hadn't dropped in on them yet today as they were want to do...

A hand dropped onto his shoulder, "Harry my friend!"

"Just one weekend...is that really too much to ask.." he muttered to himself as he turned to see Eustus wearing a pensive look.

"Fine! Just ignore me! Don't even acknowledge your own father-in-law-to-be!" The man cried dramatically, "I know, I'll cut my own finger off, that will get his attention."

In shock Harry watched the man put his hand on the coffee table and produce a knife, "Wait! You'd do that? What are you insane?"

"Ah! He does recognize me!"

Harry sighed, "Did you want something?" Really...he may be a King, but he acted more like a spoiled ponce too often to inspire awe at his titles any longer.

"Exactly!" Eustus said with a grin, "Could you...that is do you think you could take my Sia on a date today?"

Harry looked up at the man, startled, "Where is this coming from?"

"Daddy!" Sia said, bashing the man over the head with her fist and knocking him out on the floor at their feet.

"Sia? I thought you and Nerine were studying in the library with Hermione?"

The girl blushed, "Well...daddy dropped in and we were talking..."

Harry thought about what her father had asked, "So did you want to go on a date today?"

Her eyes went wide, "Oh! No...I mean yes...I was just telling Daddy how I wished you might take me on a date...but I'm sure you're busy with other things..."

Harry smiled and pulled her down onto the couch with him, "Actually no, I'm free all day. I thought it was one of his insane ideas...but if you want to, I wouldn't...uh...wouldn't mind going..on a date with you."

Eustus suddenly popped his head up, "Perfect! I already discussed with the headmaster. As the ambassador of your world you are allowed to leave school every weekend now for 'official functions' if you know what I mean." He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Daddy!" Sia said blushing but looking at him angrily.

Harry was intrigued though, "Really? Professor Dumbledore said that was okay?"

Eustus looked offended, "Would I lie to you Harry?"

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. Would prefer not to let me out of his sight unless I'm with my relatives, Dumbledore? That Dumbledore said it was okay for Harry Potter to leave the school without an escort?" He looked upon the man with extreme suspicion.

Eustus nodded happily, "Yep, said it would be good for Wizard, God, Devil relations for you to be seen in public with the girls. Why do you ask like that?"

Harry sat back on the couch, "Oh I don't know, he had a battle with Voldemort at the Ministry last year and the tosser wants me dead?"

Eustus nodded sagely at that remark, "Yes, I can see where that would be a problem...except that either Nerine or Sia could easily squash him like a bug if he tried AND!..."

Harry sat forward, "And?"

"And...we might have captured him and taken him to the Life and Death Research Facility in the Devil Realm. Really he didn't, couldn't put up much of a fight. Though unfortunately most of Little Hangleton no longer exists...but we made sure to get the innocents out beforehand!"

"What!" Harry screamed at him, "You just happen to mention that you have Voldemort on ice like that? That's huge news!"

"Sorry! I had other things going on, didn't know it was such a big deal."

"Daddy you can be so dense sometimes." Sia said, shaking her head sadly.

He frowned, "Don't be like that SiSi..."

"When?" Harry asked.

"Oh...about three weeks ago...not long after you gave that necklace to Forbes. They traced the dark magic back to the source within a couple of hours. It really wasn't that hard."

Harry wanted to strangle the man, "For three weeks I've been worrying about the wanker when you had him the whole time! You really didn't think that might have been big news to me?"

The man shrugged, "Dumbledore said I shouldn't worry you with the news, I should just let you be a teenager. Speaking of which, are you two..." he giggled, "You know, have you already..." He wheezed a bit as a huge smile crossed his face. "I mean...if you hurt my baby I'll have to destroy you, but if you make her happy you'll be my hero no matter what!"

Harry ignored the question as he thought on the reason Dumbledore had become once again the doddering grandfather like Harry remembered from his first year. Obviously a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and obviously he didn't realize that maybe Harry wasn't just a normal teenage wizard.

"So where are you going on your date?" Eustus asked suddenly.

"Oh...well I don't know, do you think there are any sales at the supermarket? I've been wanting to make something for Harry ever since I found out where the kitchens are. Also I'll bet there are all sorts of sales going on in Diagon Alley! With school in session they are bound to be trying to drum up business..."

"NO!" Eustus screamed and pointed at her, "That isn't a date!"

The girl looked unhappy but contrite as Harry wiggled a pinky in his ear that was ringing, his mind was split in two. One part of him wanted nothing more than to strangle Dumbledore and force Eustus to take him to see Voldemort...but what would he do once he got there? The other part was suddenly noticing teenage girls in a way he never let himself look before, "And what IS a date?" Harry asked.

"Oh well, you could start with horse racing, and then maybe some slot machines...and end the whole day at the Pub! That's an awesome date!"

Sia punched him again, knocking him back to the floor unconscious, "Really daddy, that isn't a date either!"

To any other boy, this display of aggression might be a turn-off at best, scare the shite out of him at worst. But Harry had been visited by the Kings every weekend and wanted to do that to them more than once just so they would calm the hell down. It helped that the idiot had been keeping Voldemort's capture to himself and in Harry's opinion, completely deserve to be stomped.

He turned to his...date? Really, he had thought about asking each of the girls on separate outings of some sort to help him make a decision, even if that decision was to die a virgin at the end of Voldemort's magic. But he surprised himself with how well he'd taken to the idea once it was proposed. He smiled at her.

"So, where does Sia want to go on our date? The whole Wizarding world is up for grabs, and honestly if you wanted to go Muggle I'd be happy to ditch the rest for a while."

Her eyes widened, though he couldn't tell if it was shock or excitement, "You still want to go...even after hearing about that man?"

He pondered that for a moment before giving up, "Do you trust your dad when he says that Tom Riddle is safely locked up?"

Sia nodded happily, "Daddy may be trying, but he wouldn't lie about something like that. And if Gabby couldn't get out of that place I know that voldethingy couldn't."

"Good, then I'll worry about him later. I'd like nothing more than to get out of this castle and away from Wizards for awhile. So where do you want to go?"

"Well..." She began playing with her fingers and looking down sheepishly, "If it were up to me we'd be shopping all day for bargains. Why don't you choose?"

"I guess a movie would be nice...you know I've never been to the cinema?"

Eustus was up and smiling again, though he had two rather large knots on his forehead almost glowing as they swelled, "Great! Lets go!"

Sia grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the door, running out the entrance and not stopping as they blew down the stairs and past Ginny and Gabrielle who were on their way back up to the tower from the Library.

"Lysianthus just ran by holding Harry's hand...does it bother you?" Gabby asked quietly.

Ginny was looking in the direction the two had disappeared, "What? No...I'm fine, as long as he's happy."

"You broke your ink bottle."

Ginny looked down at her hand, dripping ink and blood as she had crushed the glass bottle in her fist.

"SIA! Why won't you let me come with you?" Eustus yelled as he tore down the stairs after them and past the two girls without looking.

Ginny shook her head at the mess of a King, and the mess she'd made of her hand. She cast a quick spell to clean the blood and ink and sighed. "Lets go visit Madam Pomfrey, I need to get this looked at.

-~Hogwarts Shuffle!~-

Sia pulled him into a little used hallway on the first floor, panting heavily and leaning against the wall. "I'm sorry...Harry..." She huffed, "I just dragged you out of there..."

He smiled at her, "No its okay, if you hadn't we'd have been stuck with your dad all day. So how are we getting where we are going? I can't Apparate yet and I'd rather use the floo in the village than ask one of the teachers, even if Dumbledore said it was okay for me to leave."

She pondered him for a moment before nodding, "Harry, think of where you want to go and hold it in your mind." He cocked an eyebrow at her before complying, "Alright, I'm going to try something I've seen daddy do a hundred times."

She put a hand on the back of his neck, concentrating on what he might be thinking, and purple energy built up around her body before she threw it down the hallway. Five feet out from them a glowing blue line seemed to zip from ceiling to floor before...turning, like a pane of glass, except on the other side you could see the street in front of the Leaky Cauldron. She grinned and pulled him through the opening and they were standing on that street watching as the portal spun again into a line and zipped itself back up.

"Wicked!" Harry exclaimed before quickly looking around to see if they'd been spotted.

"Don't worry Harry, something about the magic makes people ignore it. It's how my daddy always travels. I think it takes a good deal more magic power to open a portal between realms, but its relatively simple to do within the same plane."

"Beats the hell out of Side-along Apparation or Port keys..or Floo...or hell, even the Knight Bus. That was amazing!" He had seen Nerine's casual use of destructive power, but this was his first time seeing just how much power Sia had at her command. "Do you think you could try to teach me how to do that?"

She pondered him for a moment before shrugging, "It takes a whole lot of power, but not really a lot of know how. You just have to know where you are going, or where someone else wants to go, and you just sort of will it to open."

"You mean there isn't any sort of complicated theory behind how it works, or any sort of incantation you had to say in your head?"

She shrugged again, "Our magic is pretty simple, just requires a lot of power to make work. You just think it, and it happens. It's really hard to do small things though, Wizard magic is really hard!"

It was funny really, because Sia had been struggling in classes, usually the last if not the the only one not to be able to cast a new spell they were taught. She had to practice constantly to do things that many in their year could pick up in a few tries. "I guess it's kind of like accidental magic." He said thoughtfully as they began walking, she blushed as she wrapped her hands around his arm and strolled close to him.

"What do you mean?" She asked, eager to learn anything about him and his world.

"Well...when we are young, things just happen around us. We want a cookie and the cookie jar floats down out of the high cupboard. We want out of the crib so we float across the room to our toys. Cold so we cast a warming charm, I blew my aunt up not too long ago because she was being a bint and talking about my parents."

"You blew up your aunt!" Sia gasped.

He grinned at her, "No I blew her up...like a balloon, she floated away taking her stupid dog with her dangling on his leash. Got into a bit of trouble for that actually, they didn't really believe I'd still have accidental magic after learning how to use a wand to control it. Most people don't."

"But what about the headmaster? I've seen him do things without using a wand?"

He nodded his head, "Little things yeah, I've seen him put out and light candles, summon books or heat tea up. And I guess in at the Ministry last year he cast a wandless shield to protect me while he used his wand to fight Voldemort. But for the most part even Dumbledore can't do things without a wand."

She thought about that for a while, "Have you ever done anything wandlessly, like on purpose? Not accidental."

He had to think on that as they walked, "I guess I lit my wand up one time without holding it. There was a Dementor after me and my cousin and I'd dropped my wand in the dark, I starting calling out the spell in desperation and it lit up just in time for me to find it and cast a Patronus Charm."

She nodded, "You'd probably be better talking to Nerine about theory like this, but it sounds like you CAN cast without a wand...much more like what we do, you just have to need it or want it badly enough...almost not be thinking about how it will happen and just the result. I'll bet your wand only lit up because that's what you were expecting, not because you were calling Lumos out."

He pondered that for a long moment as they came to a stop light and waited for the crosswalk sign, "I don't know...maybe we can do your kind of magic, but its just as hard for us as it is for you to do stuff with a wand."

She smiled at him and hugged his arm tighter, "I don't know about that, I think you'd have to be really powerful to make it work so not just anybody could do it. But I'll talk to Nerine and see if we can teach you some of the tricks we learn to get our magic under control. You have to understand though, if you make it through magical maturity, you still have years of dealing with "accidents" where you can accidentally incinerate entire cities if you don't watch yourself. At least if you are as powerful as the royal families."

They crossed the street and Harry realized he had no idea where they were going, he wanted to go somewhere Muggle but not Little Whinging and not Kings Cross, and the entrance to the Leaky was the only other place he knew well enough to picture. "Hang on I'll get us a cab." He said, stepping to the side of the street and raising an arm at a passing taxi.

The car pulled up to the curb, cutting across three lanes of traffic and they climbed in. "Good day sir, where will it be?" The cabby asked.

Harry shrugged, "Nearest cinema."

"That'd be the mall then sir, will that do?"

Harry looked over to find Sia bouncing in excitement and couldn't help but grin, "I think that will do nicely."

The cab pulled away from the curb, getting angry honks from those he cut off.

-~Hogwarts Shuffle!~-

Throughout the movie Harry's hand kept bumping into Sia's and for some reason, that small amount of contact left both of them blushing. After what he'd done with Ginny just that morning he didn't know how something so innocent could have so much power. But still, he liked the small jolts than ran up his arm each time it happened. He didn't realize it kept happening more often as both of them craved the contact.

Afterward he enjoyed watching Sia dash from store to store looking for deals, she wasn't even shopping, she just liked finding the best deals. He mentioned that not only did he have plenty of money, but if she was a princess he figured she must as well. Her response was that she could buy anything she wanted, but her mothers had taught her that a good housewife always looked for the best deal. After all one doesn't manage money well by spending it all. He could respect that having grown up not knowing he was loaded.

They left the mall and ended up wandering until they wound up in a small park. "Some date this turned out to be huh?" He said with a nervous laugh. "A mediocre movie...overpriced drinks...and now we end up at the playground."

Sia shook her head and smiled at him, "The mall was fun, and I like playgrounds, it reminds me of how we spent the day after I got lost."

Harry looked at her shyly, "I actually...don't remember it all that well. What did we do?"

She smiled lopsidedly at him, "It's okay Harry, it was just a normal day for you, it was my first time in the human realm so its more memorable for me.

"I was waiting for a train with daddy, but there were so many people getting on and off and next thing I knew I was all alone and scared. Then this scrawny boy came up to me and asked me why I was crying, I told him I lost my daddy and he said he'd wait with me. He said he didn't have any friends, which made me even more sad, but he asked if I wanted to be his friend which made me so happy!

We spent the next couple of hours near the train station, there was a small park with a playground and you pushed me on the swings and we played on the see-saw. I forgot all about being lost until my daddy showed up freaking out! You were so sad that I had to leave, but you were happy that I found my dad, and that he was worried for me. You were so nice, making a friend out of someone you just met and making it all better. I've loved you ever since."

Harry smiled sadly at her as he moved closer, "I wish I could remember that, it sounds like one of the best days of my life..." There eyes locked and Harry found himself leaning in toward her...her eyes fluttered closed and her heart wanted to burst from her chest she was so happy.

Just then Harry looked up as he heard someone crying, Sia followed his gaze to a slide where a little girl was on the ground behind the slide. He walked over to her, "Hello?"

She began crying harder as she looked up at him, realizing he must look like a big scary giant he bent down to her level. "Hey, my name is Harry. Are you lost?"

The girl nodded, tears running down her cheeks, "My mommy was here with me but I forgot my doll, I came back for it but I lost her."

Harry nodded, "Tell you what, I bet your mommy knows you're missing and is looking for you right now. If we stay here she'll probably come back soon. Do you want to go swing?"

The girl smiled through her tears, "Okay!"

Sia watched from a park bench as Harry pushed the little girl on the swings, laughing the whole time along with her. He pushed her higher, even running under her as she reached the top of her arc. After the swings they tried to see-saw but he was too heavy so he called Sia over. "Hey! Can you sit with her so we balance out"

Sia grinned and joined them playing for the next ten minutes, the girl kept looking at the tall slide and Harry noticed. "Do you want to go down it?"

She looked like she did but shook her head, "My friends make fun of me because I'm too scared..."

Harry frowned at that, "How about I go down it with you, with both of us up there it wont seem so bad."

The girl looked pensive for a minute before she nodded and ran over to the ladder with him following closely. He climbed up behind her and put the girl in his lap, whispering encouragement to her over her fear of heights. He remembered having to conquer the tall slide all by himself because Dudley ran everyone off who wanted to play with him. "Don't worry, I know it seems like we're really far off the ground but its only about three meters. I've fallen from ten times this far and not been hurt."

In reality he'd fallen far farther than that, but the ground of the quidditch pitch was cushioned and he suspected there was a movement arresting charm involved as well. He'd also broken his arm, but he didn't need to tell the girl that. "Alright, ready?"

The girl nodded nervously and Harry pushed off, sliding down quickly and both of them tumbling off the end end in a ball of giggles. "That was fun! Again?"

He smiled and got up, following her to the slide when he noticed Sia watching from the sidelines, "Hey, why don't you go between us and we can all go down the slide?"

Sia was surprised he remembered she was there, he looked like he was having the time of his life with the little girl. But she didn't let that stop her climbing up first behind the girl and putting her in her lap. Harry followed and both blushed as she scooted back between his legs.

From their vantage point they could see the whole park, then the girl turned wide eyed to a voice calling her name, "Emma?" The woman called out.

Emma screamed, "Momma!" and slid down the slide all by herself, Harry and Sia went down together, managing not to fall off this time. The girl ran over to her mom, hugging her and babbling about her new friends.

She turned to them, "Thank you so much for watching out for my little Em!"

Harry rubbed the back of his head and shrugged, "It was no trouble, she was a very good girl." Emma beamed.

"You are such a nice couple, I wish there were more teens like you in this world." She turned to her daughter, "Your father is going spare ever since I called to tell him you were lost, ready to go home?"

Emma nodded and waved to the two as her and her mother left the park. After they left Harry turned to Sia with an apology on his lips only to find her grinning up at him with stars in her eyes. "What?" he asked her shyly.

"Never change Harry." She pulled him into a hug and basked in his presence.

His arms tentatively came up around her and hugged her back, "Okay...okay."

-~Hogwarts Shuffle!~-

The window turned and the portal appeared in the common room as Harry and Sia stepped through from the park. The residents of the tower looked up startled for the most part before Nerine sighed in relief, recognizing the magic. Hermione ran over to him and pulled him into a hug, crying.

"Whoah Mione, its okay." He said, hugging her back like it was the easiest thing in the world. Really though, it was. She was the only one he'd enjoyed hugging for the last five years.

She beat his shoulder, "No it's not 'Okay' you prat! You disappear from the school and nobody knows where you went. I didn't know what to think! We got the map out of your room and searched for you and you weren't anywhere on it! I thought..."

"Shh...its okay Mione, Sia and I just stepped out for a bit...I'm sorry I forgot to tell you where we were going, but it was kind of spur of the moment, and we had to get away from her dad."

"How'd you leave the castle though?" Neville asked, "They haven't announced the Hogsmead Weekend or anything and I would have thought Dumbledore would keep you close."

"And what kind of transport spell was that? You can't Apparate on Hogwarts grounds, and that wasn't a portkey..."

Harry shushed her again, rubbing her back softly, "That was how Gods and Devils travel by magic, and as for how I left the castle...it was an official outing as the Wizard's Ambassador. The Headmaster approved it, I can leave any time I want."

"But what about Voldemort?" Ginny asked loudly.

Harry's eyes darkened, "Oh...yeah, we need to talk."

******A/N: There, a bit longer and a bit sooner than was probably expected. I'm going one chapter at a time now so I'm sorry if there are long periods between publishing, but I'll get it to you as soon as it leaves my head.**

******Hope you enjoyed their first date, and a little bit of citrus flavor.**


	12. Chapter 12

******Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, plot and interactions are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

******Hogwarts Shuffle! Chapter Twelve**

******09/28 – Saturday**

"Harry."

He roused himself just enough to be annoyed at being woken up on a Saturday instead of sleeping in, he closed his eyes and hoped whichever girl had decided to wake him up would instead decide to let him sleep. Or at least crawl into bed with him like usual. The bed shifted and he felt a weight settle across his lap, he smiled a little, thinking Ginny must want to "help him" again. His obvious erection pressed against her put lie to any excuse he might come up with to tell her no.

She wiggled on his lap and he felt himself settling into a cleft between her legs, it was extremely soft, and warm and he felt himself buck against her slightly and heard a soft moan in response. He opened his eyes and looked up at the girl in the low lamp light, beautiful golden pigtails sprouting from either side of her lithe little body...blond...little...

He sat up quickly, knocking the girl off to the side and stared at her like she'd burned him, "G-Gabby? What?"

"Ginny asked me to wake you up Harry, she said she called your name twice when she went by but you just wouldn't wake." She answered quietly.

"But why were you sitting on top of me?" He gagged.

She tilted her head and pondered him, "Because it was comfortable, and you weren't waking up when I called your name."

He took a deep breath, trying to remember that this girl was emotionally stunted in many ways and probably had no clue what she'd done. "Gabby...you can't sit on people while they are sleeping...not like that okay? Just shake me til I wake up...or even hit me with the Aguamenti charm..."

The girl nodded and stood up, "It's breakfast time and we all decided to go together, but we had to wake you up."

His breathing had slowed back to normal and thankfully, he hadn't seemed to hurt her feelings. Yes it was possible, he'd seen the difference in her eyes when he said something that made her think she'd done wrong and it killed him every time. The longer she spent with he and Ginny, the more like a normal girl she became. The emotionless doll was slowly wearing away, there were even times when she seemed completely normal, almost always around Ginny.

"Alright, I'm up. I'll meet you guys in the common room in a minute okay?"

She smiled softly at him and left the room skipping. Once he knew she was gone he got out of bed and changed into clothes for the day, some that he'd brought with him from his shopping excursion before semester began. Black jeans and an emerald green polo style shirt, it was nice, he reflected, to have clothes that fit, stylish clothes even, and he wore them every weekend when robes were more a suggestion than a rule.

It was a beautiful, sunny day outside the window as he made his way down the stairs. Unusually warm for September but not a heat wave by any means. Once he reached the bottom of the stairs the girls stood up from the couch and smiled at him. Hermione wearing blue jeans and her uniform blouse untucked without a tie, Ginny in a skirt and Weird Sisters T-shirt he could have sworn belonged to Tonks, and Gabby in a uniform skirt and a plain white blouse.

"Hey guys...where are the others?" He asked.

"Sia and Rina decided to meet their fathers for breakfast rather than letting them come in here and make a scene like they do every weekend. Luna and Neville went on ahead to breakfast." Hermione answered him with a smile, "Looks like just the four of us for now."

He smiled back at her, "That's fine though really, I miss hanging out with my best female friend. It seems like its been nothing but study, sleep, study, crazy royal father, study some more. We don't just hang out like we used to."

Hermione blushed a bit and looked away, "Well Harry, I can't blame you. You have plenty to deal with being the Ambassador for the girls and keeping up with your schoolwork. I'm rather proud of you by the way, I haven't had to remind you once to do your homework."

He shrugged, "Yeah...I don't know what it is but everything has just clicked for me this year. Homework isn't nearly such a chore when I actually understand the material and remember what we went over in classes. I still might need you to look over my Defense essay later though, Snape can't bring himself to give me more than an Acceptable and I want to make sure it's him and not me."

"Ready to head down?" Ginny asked them brightly with Gabby by her side.

He nodded and they left the common room, chatting about plans for the day as they headed toward the Great Hall.

-~Hogwarts Shuffle!~-

After breakfast the group decided that, since it was the weekend, and since Harry had a free pass, they should all go down to Hogsmeade and take advantage of having it mostly to themselves. Harry was all for it but wanted to make sure Ginny and Hermione were allowed to leave with him, there was also the matter of finding the Princesses who were absent from the Great Hall where the rest of the school was eating.

"Why don't you four head down to the lake for a stroll while Gin and I get permission and find the others? We'll send a Patronus when it is time to meet up at the path to the main gate." Hermione said with a smile

Luna looked at Neville with a serene smile, "I think that's a lovely idea, don't you Neville?"

The boy blushed but nodded his agreement, Harry shrugged and offered an elbow to Gabby who took it with a small smile and the group parted ways, heading in opposite directions. It was still unseasonably warm, but sometime during breakfast the sky had become overcast. Harry wasn't sure of the weather but it didn't really look like it would rain any time soon.

Luna took Neville by the elbow and headed off, "I believe there are billywigs breeding in the tall aquatic weeds near the forest, I hear they cause the most curious reaction in couples with their mating song."

Gabby made to follow but Harry steered her in the other direction with a grin, "Not this time Gabby, why don't we walk by ourselves?" The girl didn't put up any fight and allowed him to lead her off.

They walked arm in arm by the lake shore, both thinking about the last time they had been this close to the water, but neither one voicing their thoughts. They were about as far from the castle as they could get, closer to the castle boundary wall than the main entrance, when it opened up raining. Harry cursed and grabbed the girls hand, running toward the closest shelter. It was either back up the hill to the castle, or a flat path to the Quidditch Pitch, an easy decision.

They reached the changing rooms and quickly into the boys side without Harry really thinking about it. Once they were inside the sconces on the walls lit themselves and Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Turning around he found Gabby standing against the wall shivering. Her white shirt was pressed tightly against her body from the rain, and it took Harry all of half a second to zero in on her prominent nipples sticking up through the fabric, which hugged her not-so-small breasts impressively. Apparently she had either had a small growth spurt since they met, or he hadn't been paying attention during his hands..nighttime wanderings.

He quickly spun around when he glanced up and saw her staring at him, "Ah, sorry! Um...So, Gabby you don't wear bra's?"

The girl shrugged when Harry glanced quickly over his shoulder at her silent reply, her chest heaving slightly, and he turned his head back again to examine the nearest locker. "I never needed them before."

He could feel how hot his face was, talking about girls underwear, and his pants were getting tighter by the second. "So uh...we should do something about that then. Maybe you and the girls should go shopping today instead of us having fun."

"Shopping is fun, but I don't want to go without you."

He melted a bit at her tone, despite how hold she was supposed to be physically, and despite how intelligent she seemed at times. She was pleading with him like a little girl who wanted to take her favorite stuffed animal to school. Actually that might not be all that far from the truth, considering the usual sleeping arrangements.

"We'll see how it goes alright? If it ever lets up raining we'll head back and find the rest and see what they think of the idea."

"Harry?" Her tone was pleading in a different way this time, deeper and with an unspoken question.

He gulped, "Yes Gabby?"

"Please turn around, I don't like talking to your back."

He turned but avoided looking directly at her, also trying to bend slightly at the waist to hide his erection. Again, despite knowing her age at some level, after all the comments about being a pedophile he was embarrassed by his emotional and physical reactions to the girl. He'd only known her for a few weeks, and he had been struggling to think of her like a sister instead of...like..That.

"Why don't you want to look at me? Am I not pretty like Big Sis?"

Harry found her eyes and stepped closer to her, feeling guilty now, "Of course you are, you're beautiful in your own way Gabby. I just..."

"I'm not a little girl..."

"I know..." he sighed, "I know, I just...I'm confused about so many other things. And well...Your.."

She looked up at him with huge blue eyes and he melted a little again, she was so perfect and doll-like, "I'm old enough...I like it when you touch me...I want you to look at me like you look at the other girls..."

He pulled her into a hug, ignoring the rock hard points sticking him in the stomach, "I really like you Gabby...but I just...I'm afraid..." He was getting tongue tied trying not to hurt her feelings at the same time he was trying to figure his own out. He pulled out his wand and cast a drying charm on them both and took a step back, breathing a sigh of relief that she was decent again. "I don't think of you that way..."

She grinned at him for a second before her face went blank as usual, "It's okay Harry, you have several other girlfriends to worry about."

He pulled a face, "I don't have a girlfriend. Yet.."

"If you say so, it is time for us to go back now." She said in a monotone.

He was getting worried that she had shown so much emotion just a few seconds ago, and completely closed up when he didn't respond. He thought he may have made a huge mistake in her development but didn't have time to ponder it as a silver otter appeared in front of them and did a flip in the air before heading back out of the door.

"Guess you were right, time to head back...thankfully the rain has let up." He went to his locker and grabbed a cloak from his gear, draping it over her shoulders. "That should help avoid any more embarrassment."

She shrugged, "I wasn't embarrassed."

-~Hogwarts Shuffle!~-

They hurried back up to the castle main entrance, following the otter as it swam through the air, and Harry spotted Ginny's stallion Patronus galloping up the slope with Luna and Neville following close behind. Once inside they all cast drying charms on each other, Gabrielle was mostly dry thanks to the cloak and Harry wasn't as wet as he thought. Neville and Luna were completely drenched, though the tousled hair on the former made Harry think they had been too distracted to seek shelter when the sky opened up. He smiled mischievously and gave Neville a thumbs up. The boy blushed but funny enough, Luna gave him a thumbs up right back wearing a mischievous smile of her own.

Hermione caught the interaction and whispered in Gin's ear, who smiled and nodded. The older girl then got the groups attention, "So, the headmaster has cleared all of us to go on this outing as long as Harry is along in his official capacity. Sia and Rina should be along in a moment. Due to the weather however, I propose we try another location, rather than suffering through the damp in Hogsmeade.

"Any ideas?"

They discussed amongst themselves until the other two showed up, all smiles, Sia spoke first, "I just love that we are going out again! We had so much fun last time."

Nerine spoke next, "And I'm excited to get out of the castle for a bit, I haven't seen much of either the Wizard or Muggle worlds since we came here."

Harry nodded and proposed the idea he'd discussed with the others. "Well, we can't know what the weather is like all over the country without a telly or radio. However...if you two are up to it, we could check out a few destinations without actually traveling there right?"

Sia nodded excitedly and asked who's idea they should check first. Luna proposed Diagon Alley, which both girls were familiar with, and Sia concentrated for a moment, gathering her magic, then split the air with her window. "Looks like it is raining harder there than it is here." Luna said with a frown.

"No problem," Rina said with a smile, "Who wants to go next?"

Hermione proposed a favorite row of shops in her home town, Rina put her hand on the back of the girls neck and asked her to concentrate before she too split the air and found the sun was shining on the south side of England. "This looks like the spot!" The blue haired girl said excitedly.

Luna, Neville, Hermione and Ginny were still amazed, looking back and forth between the two windows into far flung destinations. Harry coughed and got their attention, "Shall we go then? Just step through and we'll be there. Don't worry about anyone noticing as it is apparently part of the magic not to have anyone realize we are appearing from nowhere."

They stepped through into the shops and began walking around, taking Hermione's lead as she was the only one familiar with the area. Of course she was on autopilot and lead them straight to a large bookstore. The others didn't seem to mind as it was still a novel experience for the Purebloods to be in a Muggle area, the Princesses were just excited to see something new, and Harry with Gabby in tow was just happy to see his friends happy.

Thinking of Gabby reminded him of her undergarment issue and he turned down the same aisle as Hermione and Ginny, finding them looking at books on electronics and mechanics. "Looking for Christmas gifts already?" He asked the redhead.

She nodded without looking away from the titles, "I have no clue which one of these might be the best though."

"Most of these are probably too advanced for anyone who doesn't have at least a basic understanding of the physics involved. What about this one?" Hermione asked, pulling a copy of 'Electronics For Dummies' book off the shelf.

Harry laughed, "Don't you think that might be a little...insulting?"

Hermione shook her head, "The title is misleading, these are actually very good books for beginners. We just have to explain that it is supposed to be a joke to get you to buy the book."

Sia and Nerine rounded the corner and Sia exclaimed, "So many books, and all so pretty!"

"It isn't like we don't have libraries and books like this in our worlds," Rina said quietly.

"But the covers are usually plain and boring, look at this one!" She held out a romance paperback with colorful artwork of a heroine, bodice ripped to the point it was nearly undignified, on what looked like a pirate ship. The ocean waves were raised in places to give the whole thing a three dimensional look and the title was gilded. "Isn't beautiful?" She then opened it to a page at random and began reading before slow turning a deep red and slamming it closed again in embarrassment.

Hermione took the book slowly from the girl with a smile, "Why don't we start you on something a bit less risque?"

He looked between the four girls, deciding it might be slightly less embarrassing to talk to Ginny first about Gabby's problem...as he'd been inside her bra... "Gin can I talk to you real quick? In private?"

She looked at him skeptically but nodded and followed him to the end of the row where they could have semi-privacy. He was looking so flustered and nervous she was both afraid he was going to ask her out again, and excited/scared he might ask her to do something for/to him...here...in public! She was scandalized and admittedly a bit turned on by the thought..but Hermione and the others were right on the other side of the shelf! What if they saw? What if they SAW? Her eyes widened at the thought; Wow...she didn't know that would turn her on either...

"Gin?" He asked for the third time, bringing her back to reality abruptly.

"What? Sorry...what can I do for you?" She tried not to imply anything, but her tone was slightly breathless.

He completely missed it in his nervousness, "Gabbyneedsunderwear."

She shook her head and made a face, "I'm sorry what about Gabby?"

He took a deep breath and related what happened on their walk earlier, though he didn't mention the conversation they'd had. Gin's eyes went wide and she felt completely mortified for the girl in question, "The poor thing! We'll take care of it today, I promise. I bet there is a shop around here, I'll just ask Hermione."

They returned to the other side of the shelves and Gin whispered in the older girls ear, gesturing slightly to Gabrielle who was looking at a comic book she'd picked up somewhere. Hermione's eyes whipped to Harry and back to the girl then nodded and turned to them. "Gabby, would you like to go shopping for new underwear? I know a nice shop down the row." The girl shrugged, and looked at Harry.

"I'll pay for whatever you need Gabby, my treat."

"Can Harry come?" She asked quietly.

Hermione turned to Harry, who was looking like a deer caught in the headlights. "Do you want to come Harry? I mean..if you are going to pay then you'd have to be there..."

Ginny suddenly had an epiphany and grinned at him, "We can all try on a few things! I know I had a growth spurt recently, and you can only transfigure clothes so much..." She suddenly looked down, "Not that I can actually afford new things...never mind."

Harry was positive she wasn't manipulating him on purpose, which is why he gladly made the offer, "Gin, if you need new things I'll pay for you as well. I have plenty of money to last me through school, especially considering I didn't spend a dime of it before I got to Hogwarts. I bought myself a new wardrobe this year and it feels great. I think the least I can do for my friends is buy them some new stuff if they need it."

Ginny was suddenly torn, she was supposed to let him do things for her...she was supposed to be doing things for him. She then got a wicked idea...he would be the only one to see her in these things, so she would buy things he wanted to see her in. Harry noticed the look and swallowed a bit of air, he had planned on asking her to help Gabby pick out something...but seeing that look he wasn't sure he trusted her to get something modest that fit her frame and age.

"Hermione, I'm trusting you to get Gabby something modest." He said quietly to the girl.

Gabby heard that though and her face darkened for a moment, it passed without him noticing. "Okay, I'm ready as long as Harry will come help me pick something out."

She held up the comic book and Harry got a good look at it for the first time. There was one guy surrounded by females on the cover in a fairly obvious Japanese style of artwork. "This book is perverted." She said matter-of-factually.

He reached to take it from her, "Ahh..why don't we just leave that here then..."

She smiled slightly and turned her head, "I want you to buy it for me."

He looked at the other girls in the group nervously, but saw Sia sneaking glances at her bodice ripper and gave up. "Alright collect the books you picked out, lets just get this over with!"

Luna came around the corner pulling a dazed looking Neville along, his hair was tousled again an Harry figured that once was a fluke, twice made them an item. "What are we doing now?" the girl asked.

-~Hogwarts Shuffle!~-

Immediately upon entering the shop Harry was rethinking his decision to come along, after a quick few breaths to calm himself down, and another moment to think through the situation he found a way out, but he'd have to get one of the Princesses to help him.

"Rina! I need your help!"

The girl turned to him in confusion, "Anything for you Harry, what's the matter?"

"Well.." he said shyly, "I offered to pay for everything..but I left all my Muggle currency at home so my relatives could buy a new telly, we kind of broke the last one. Hermione had to buy the books and I promised to pay her back."

She smiled at him, "Oh, well that isn't a problem. I have a credit card in one of Daddies names, I can just..."

"NO! I mean...No thank you. I want today to me my treat, I just need to get to Diagon Alley and back in order to grab some money. I know you probably want to shop with the girls though, so if you could just send me through, and then come get me from the same place in about twenty minutes?"

She protested for a minute, telling him she'd rather just go with him, but he told her how boring it would be waiting in line at the bank. In the end she agreed to let him go while they shopped for underwear.

She placed a hand on his neck and he envisioned the entrance to Gringotts in Diagon Alley, still marveling at the magic that allowed this form of transport. He stepped through and the gateway snapped shut behind him.

He made his way into the bank and queued up at the only open teller, there were three people in front of him so he lost himself in thought while he waited. His thoughts drifted between the smiling faces...and awesome bodies of the girls in the Lingerie shop half a country away. Maybe sneaking out wasn't the best idea after all; he was aroused from his daydream by a shout.

"Die Potter!" The man screamed, producing a wand with the tip already glowing a sickly green. He barely got out the first part of the incantation for the killing curse before his head was separated from his body by the ax of a security goblin.

Other security quickly surrounded the body and hauled it away, the familiar goblin...Riphook?..appeared and escorted him away from the scene and the eyes of the others in the lobby. "Please follow me Mister Potter."

Harry glanced back at the spot where a man had just died as he followed the smaller being, noting that not even a drop of blood had been spilled in the encounter. He was led back to the cubicle of the account manager he'd met before and shown in.

"Ah, Mister Potter. Glad you are unharmed."

"Me too..so what was..."

"That was the security this bank offers to all of its customers, Wizards are not allowed to draw a wand or cast a spell within Gringotts walls on penalty of death, as per the Goblin Treaty of 1739. He was dead the moment he drew on you. Now...why are you here, causing disturbances in what was a rather boring day?"

Harry remembered himself and got straight to the point, "I need a way to access Muggle currency without coming into the bank all the time or carrying large amounts with me. I'm spending more and more time in the Muggle world lately and it is getting bothersome to travel back and forth to the bank for funds. I'm sure it just as much a bother for you to deal with me when all I need is cash."

The goblin nodded and pulled a sheet of parchment and a black credit card out of a drawer. "If you'll place your key in the box at the top, and a drop of blood in the box at the bottom, this card will act just as a normal credit card, being tied to your account. The text in the middle simply describes the interest rates and fees associated, but I assure you, because you should have the funds to cover any expenditures, it will be removed directly from your account for a reasonable per-transaction fee."

Harry knew he should read the contract...but he was running out of time, and he didn't want to anger the Goblin. "Can I get a copy of this contract to take with me? Not that I don't trust you..."

"But of course, I'd gladly steal the money off any human dumb enough not to double check that the contract was fair. Though I would also gut one who tried to call me a cheat without reading the fine print first."

Harry didn't think he'd ever NOT be nervous when dealing with Goblins, he quickly produced his vault key and, using the letter opener on the desk, pricked his thumb to place a drop of blood on the document which flashed golden and rolled itself up. The black card flashed at the same time and his name showed up in gold letters, along with a second rolled up copy of the contract.

"Will there be anything else?"

"Ah...no. Thank you for your time." Harry said politely.

"Don't thank me, I'm charging you the minimum of 30 minutes for a consult. Have a good day."

Harry shook his head and quickly found his way back to the lobby and the front doors. He was hesitant to step outside the bank after his life had just been threatened, so he loitered in the entryway until he saw the tale-tell-blue line split the air in front of the bank. Just as the window turned he exited the bank and entered the lingerie store...changing rooms?

"Welcome back Harry, did you get what you needed?" Rina asked him.

"I did.." he said looking around nervously, "What am I doing back here though?"

Before Rina could answer him Hermione...in just her panties, strolled into the open area between the curtained off changing rooms carrying a bra and looking at the tag. "Rina I don't think the cup size on this one is labeled correctly. It says its a C but feels like a B, do you think you could go grab me..." She noticed Harry standing there and trailed off in shock. "Hi Harry..."

"Um..." He gulped and tried not to stare at her chest, "Hello Hermione..."

"I'm just going to.."

"I'll just be..." They both began at the same time as Hermione pointed back to the changing room she'd come out of and Harry turned and walked out of the secluded area. A few moments went by before he heard her muffled scream and one of the sales girls from the floor ran past him giving him a dirty look.

He was mortified...sure he'd dreamt of seeing his best female friend in less than that...but to actually see it...and in these circumstances. He didn't know how he could ever face her again...not without his nether regions instantly giving away his thoughts. He was still blushing when the sales girl appeared once more looking more friendly. "Hello sir, the situation was explained to me and I am sorry for thinking badly of you. Though you are lucky that I asked questions first rather than calling the police."

"Explained to you?" He asked in confusion, what story could they have told her to make it okay that he was in the changing room of a lingerie store?

"You are paying for the outing correct? And the girls tell me they have no problems with you helping them to decide. This is not unheard of, I simply wish you all had informed before the screaming...you only surprised her, it was not a scream of fear." The girl finished with a small smile.

"Oh...okay? Well, uh...thank you, I guess."

"Very well sir, they are waiting for you now. I will let any other customers know to use the other changing area." She winked and walked away from him.

"Harry?" He heard Ginny call out quietly.

He walked up to the door, "Ye..iipe!" He yelped as he was dragged into the room and forced into a chair.

Ginny smiled at him, "You still have to help us pick out what to wear."

He made to get up, mumbling excuses, but Hermione pushed him back down into the chair and Ginny sat on his lap. At least this time Hermione had all the important bits covered; not that he couldn't see right through her bra with his minds eye. He was suddenly VERY aware of the girl in his lap and remembered something Seamus had told him about squeezing your thigh muscles to get rid of a boner.

"Now Harry, I think the least you can do after walking in on me is sit here and accept your punishment." Hermione stated with a laughing tone.

He tried to explain himself, tripping over his words, "But I didn't walk in...I was brought in by Rina...I didn't realize where I was, she had clothes on...and you didn't..."

"Quiet Harry, you might say something you'll regret. As it stands you are going to let them embarrass the heck out of you as revenge. Either that or you can get starkers to make things even."

He gulped, "Who are you, and what have you done with my best friend? The Hermione I know would be mortified, we would barely speak for a couple of weeks until we both forgot what happened."

She shrugged, doing impressive things to her bosom, "Having all these other girls around has helped me to get more comfortable with myself. Besides, there is only the one bath in the common room and I find it likely this would have happened eventually. Also, there may have been a topless beach or two on my summer holidays in France... So its not that big a deal really... you just surprised me."

Harry tried desperately not to imagine Hermione topless in the ocean, but he had to shift his legs uncomfortably as his erection returned. Before he could respond to her Sia came into the room wearing a lacy black and white number and did a little twirl. It was actually fairly modest other than the pattern, he'd seen plenty of swimsuits that covered more skin. He smiled at her. "That one looks nice Sia, you should get it."

She smiled and did a little twirl for him, "Really you think so? It's a bit on the modest side, and it isn't on sale. I'm not sure if it's a good enough bargain, especially if it only looks 'nice'. I'll try something else on."

He was confused, first off these girls should have lots more experience underwear shopping than he did so his opinion shouldn't really matter. Second of all, why were they all so happy to parade around in front of him. Sure, he and Gin were all but dating, and Sia and Nerine considered themselves his betrothed so he could understand them not minding him seeing them like this. But Hermione was half naked in the corner of the room, he'd barely dared to daydream about a similar situation let alone think it would ever happen.

Nerine came out next, looking at the floor and holding her arms behind her back. She was the perfect picture of innocent shyness in her solid purple underwear, it wasn't even a sexy cut but Hermione smiled and wiggled a bit in his lap. "He likes that one very much Rina, you should put it in the keep pile."

"I what?" He asked out loud.

"He does? Rina said looking up shyly through her hair, then smiling at him. "I'm glad you like it Harry. I have one more to show you though."

He closed his eyes and began breathing, pushing all his sexual thoughts out and trying to find that blank calm space that helped him think and reason. His body began reacting as he relaxed and he thanked Eustus that he wouldn't embarrass himself any further.

"Harry, do you like this one?" Gabby asked.

He opened his eyes and found the girl standing in front of him in a green and white sports bra and matching panties. It was nothing sexy at all, but he still felt himself stir once more and Gin smiled at the girl who suddenly grinned back, bouncing into the changing room.

"What was that about?" He asked her.

She shook her head and smiled knowingly as Sia reappeared in...could that even be called underwear? It was damn near see through with only the barest bits of cloth covering the naughty bits. It was also Red, or was that his vision? He couldn't tell because his heart was hammering too hard at the sight to think straight. Ginny got up and Sia replaced her on his lap.

"Hello there Loverboy...Oh! I see you like my outfit, maybe if you play your cards right I'll let you see me without it later." Sia said seductively.

This was 180 degrees from the bubbly and shy Sia he had come to know, like an entirely different personality, but he couldn't think straight. "I...What? ..what was going on with Ginny telling them whether I liked their outfits or not?"

She leaned in and whispered to him, lips against his ear and warm breath playing over his neck, "She could feel your...approval just as well as I can." She wiggled against his reborn erection to further demonstrate, "We knew you wouldn't be able to vocalize your approval so we decided to use a lie detector. Though I'm not sure right now if it is because of the clothes, or just because of me."

"Sia!" he said in whispered shriek, she giggled at his discomfort and turned to look just as Ginny came in wearing something black and lacy. He took another cleansing breath and smiled for her, "That looks nice Ginny."

Rather than look happy at his approval, the girl got a dark look on her face and returned to the changing room shaking her head. Nerine came out next wearing a something pale blue and stringy. His member jumped at the image and he gulped, trying to think of what he'd done wrong with complimenting Gin. "You look...really..uh.. nice in that one Rina."

"Yep, that's the one." Sia said with a grin and Rina blushed hard but didn't run away.

Ginny came back in, wearing a teddy that didn't even hide her engorged nipples. Harry had finally had enough and passed out in the chair.

"I think we broke him." Sia said with a giggle.

He woke up in a chair sitting outside the changing rooms, wondering how he got there. In fact he was starting to wonder if he'd dreamed the entire thing, it was too surreal. The sales girl approached and he stood quickly, nervously. "I didn't do anything!" he said too quickly.

She looked at him strangely, "Of course not sir, the girls have their purchases ready at the counter. Will that be cash or credit?"

He pulled out the black bank card and handed it to her and the girl smiled at the thought of the large commission she'd just made as she went back to the register. Harry followed her warily and found the girls, fully clothed and chatting amongst themselves, acting for all the world like nothing happened.

'Maybe it didn't? It can't have.' He thought to himself, desperately holding onto that thought and willing to believe he had dreamed the whole thing he signed the receipt and got hugs from all the girls in thanks.

He followed them out of the store and Hermione led the way across to an Ice Cream shop where Neville and Luna were waiting. Neville looked up as they approached, "Hey Harry, so everything go alright?"

He wasn't really sure...but the girls all seemed happy enough. "I think so," he turned to Gabby, "Did you get what you needed?"

The girl nodded and he sighed in relief, at the very least he didn't have to worry about it raining again. Luna smiled dreamily at him, "Looks like you had a good time, unfortunately all of my underthings still fit me." She grabbed her breasts and lifted them slightly, then let them drop and bounce which immediately had Nevilles eyes locked in place, and Harry looked away with a cough.

"Right then! So...whats next?" Harry asked, desperate to change the subject.

******Authors Note:**

I LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE! And I'm sorry, for being a jerk and abandoning you. I don't really have an excuse other than ADD and a small break turning into...months of hiatus. But I'm back now, nothing has been abandoned. I hope I didn't lose too many of you by waiting too long, and I hope you enjoyed this installment. It got a bit awkward to write for a moment, mostly because I began suffering from "too-many-girls-in-one-scene-to-keep-track-of-properly" syndrome. A common malady in the harem genre. I ended up having Hermione in the corner rather than trying things on for him, she was already far enough OOC as it was.

In any case, I hope to write another chapter this week, but I can't promise it will be for Shuffle. I was begged to work on Incarnation, and French Twist is sitting there, full of potential...


	13. Chapter 13

******Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, plot and interactions are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

******Hogwarts Shuffle! Chapter Thirteen**

******10/06 – Sunday**

"I just can't do it!" Sia shouted and ran from the common room, up the stairs and slammed her door behind her.

Harry looked up from where he was lounging on the couch with a book and Gabby laying in his lap playing with a stuffed cat doll. "What?..."

Nerine tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, "She is having so much trouble with the spells from the last week, especially in Defense. I was trying to help her but..."

He turned and looked at her closed door, "Why doesn't she just ask for help? I would have been happy to show her a few things."

"Harry is really a very good teacher. Last year he taught hundreds of students better than most of our previous Defense professors. I already told her he'd be happy to help." Hermione remarked from the long study table.

"I really wasn't that..." He began but was cut off by Ginny, who was sitting across from Hermione working on an essay for charms.

"Honestly Harry, it's cute that you are so modest; but you really were amazing." She said with a smile.

Nerine smiled at him, "Maybe you should go up and talk to her, I think she would listen to you if you offered to help directly. We are too close...and I pick things up faster than her so it makes her feel sad."

Regardless of his own opinion, he figured the least he could do was go check on her. As though sensing his thoughts, Gabby got up and went over to sit next to Ginny, looking over her shoulder as the girl continued revising. He got up off the couch, marking his place in the psychology book and setting it to one side.

He moved up the stairs and down to Sia's room and paused for a moment, collecting himself, before knocking gently. "Sia?"

He heard a sniffle, "Please go away Harry, I'd just like to be alone now."

He shook his head, he knew all about having a pity party and it wasn't as much fun as the name implied. He placed his hand on the doorknob. "Sia I'm coming in." Not hearing any response he turned the handle and went inside, pulling the door closed behind him.

He found Sia sitting on the edge of her bed facing away from the door, the desk in her room had been wiped clean onto the floor making quite the mess. He walked over to the bed and sat down behind her, looking over her shoulder where she was fiddling idly with her wand. "Hey." He said for lack of any other opener.

She turned her head away from him and wiped her cheek, "I said I wanted to be alone..."

He nodded but didn't move from his spot on the bed, "So you are frustrated, I think I can understand. Until this year I could never really understand what was going on in Potions. It drove me nuts, sure I knew on some level that Snape was an awful teacher but it is amazing the difference that having Professor Slughorn in the classroom has made. I'm not great at potions or anything, but I understand it now, he was able to teach in a different way that made sense to me."

She nodded slightly before speaking, "But all of our teachers are great! I mean...Professor Snape isn't very nice, but he knows loads about the subject and everyone else seems to be doing well. It's just me that can't get these stupid jinx's and curses down."

He got up and rounded the bed to sit beside her, "To be fair...a lot of the material he is covering on the Practical side is stuff I read ahead last year, taught myself, and taught most of the students in our class. It isn't really that he's that great of a teacher when it comes to wand movements and incantation. It is that most of us already know these spells. You didn't have that benefit, it is like we all belong to a study group that read ahead in the text."

She turned to him slightly, "But Rina can do it by the end of class! She wasn't here last year either...I'm just no good at this kind of magic!"

"And I bet I'd be pants at your kind of magic as well; you know you did mention teaching me some of the stuff you use to learn how to control your powers." An idea quickly formed and cemented in his mind and he grabbed it, "How about this, I'll help you with your wand work, and you can try to help me learn your type of magic."

She looked at his smile and fell into his arms, crying softly into his shoulder. It left him feeling both gallant, and a little nervous. "Why are you so nice to me? I stormed into your life and turned your world upside down, you didn't even know who I was."

He put an arm around her and rubbed her back gently, "That's just what friends do for each other, besides I kind of like what you've done to my life."

She pulled away smiling again and wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks. "What about the others? Won't they be upset that you are giving me so much of your time? What about your own studies?"

He shrugged, "With Voldemort no longer a worry for me I'm starting to feel kind of..." He searched for the right word, "I don't know, itchy...restless; like I need a new goal now that my life isn't going to be in danger again this year. At the same time I can actually dedicate myself to studying rather than just bouncing from one deadly and insane situation to another. I am learning faster and better than any previous year for some reason, so I have time to help my friends, and to be honest I really want to learn your kind of magic if I can. I mean...especially if..." He trailed off, trying not to blush.

She didn't let it die there though, "Especially if what?" She asked in confusion.

He rubbed the back of his head, blushing as he turned his face away from her, "Well...I mean if some day I were to end up marrying you or Rina...well, what kind of Prince of Gods or Devils would I be if I had to rely on Wizard Magic for everything?"

She was blushing by this point too but beaming at him, "Oh Harry...it makes me really happy to hear you thinking of a future with me...even with Nerine. I love her, I know she wouldn't keep me away from you and as long as you are happy, and making her happy, I wouldn't be sad at all!"

She turned away from him and got up, beginning to pick up the things on the floor, when she turned back her eyes seemed to have changed slightly...mischief sparkling in their depths, "Besides Harry, you do know that Polygamy is allowed in my world?"

Harry stood up quickly, stuttering as his eyes went wide at the new images swirling in his brain, "Um so...lets grab a room, A CLASSROOM, yeah, so we can work on your spells...sometimes..right now I have to be..somewhere."

He exited the room quickly, and went to his own. He needed some alone time now too.

-~Hogwarts Shuffle!~-

Later that evening, Harry slipped into the bath and let the hot water sooth his worries away.

His life had changed so much lately, how often had he wished to be a normal teenager who's biggest worries were schoolwork and girls? And yet, of a sudden he found himself with nothing to worry about other than these two, and honestly the schoolwork was nearly taking care of itself. The more time he spent clearing his mind and meditating on what he had learned the day before, the easier it was to access the information and take in new things. He didn't dwell too much on it, since it seemed to be a good thing.

That left him lots and lots of time to think about the women in his life, the fact was he was basically living a fantasy. He had Ginny who was more than willing to be his plaything, Hermione who kept getting bolder with her flirting...that was a complete surprise, Gabby who treated him like a favorite stuffed animal most of the time but was slowly developing a personality and seemed to be figuring out that she was a girl. He wasn't sure whether that was a good or a bad thing to be honest.

Finally his biggest problem, he had the Princesses of the God and Devil worlds all but throwing themselves...scratch that...serving themselves up on a silver platter. All he had to do was decide, and at times he wondered if he wouldn't rather face Voldemort without a wand than hurt either of them. Any of them... He was coming to care about each of these girls in different ways and it scared him. The last thing he wanted was hurt feelings.

On top of that, Hermione had been a secret crush since at least the Yule Ball and suddenly he realized she was interested in him in one way or another. Gin...well she was unbalanced at times, but she loved him, if she would get over her issues he'd had gladly decided on her by now. But she had put him off enough times that he ended up with feelings of some sort for all the others. Except Gabrielle, honestly she was cute, and fun, but he didn't know if he could ever get past feeling like her older brother. Taking her out of the equation definitely eased his mind, even if only a little.

What he really needed was a male opinion, an experienced point of view. He was just beginning to ponder who he could talk to when Neville came into the room and froze at seeing him in the pool of water.

"Uh, hey...sorry I'll come back..." Neville said quietly, turning to go.

"Wait! Nev...honestly, we're both blokes, same equipment and all that. There is more than enough room in here for both of us. Unless your secretly a pouf I think we are both manly enough to share some hot water."

Neville turned back around, blushing slightly, but he nodded and headed toward the water. Harry put up his hands, "Hold on there, you know the rules. We can share the water, but not the filth." He smiled and pointed at the showers along the wall. Neville blushed again, but smiled as he headed for the closest shower head and began to bathe.

"So you've been in here a while huh?" Neville asked, somewhat rhetorically, "What have you been doing?"

Harry shrugged and settled back into the hot water, sighing as he lowered himself down so it was over his shoulders. "Thinking mostly."

The other boy began scrubbing his hair with shampoo, "Bout what?"

"You know...the usual.." Harry remarked, "A bit of this and a little of that."

Neville picked up the bucket at his feet and dumped it over his head, then shaking the water out of his hair, "Voldemort?"

"Not exactly..."

By this time, Neville had turned off the shower and walked over to the bath, wrapping a towel around his waist before sliding into the water. He sighed loudly as the heat seemed to melt into him, "Ah...so you've finally gotten round to being normal then?"

Harry smiled, "How'd you guess?"

"Honestly, its all I can do to figure out what's going on with Luna. I don't know how you can cope with four or five girls at once."

Harry sat up and raised an eyebrow, "So about Luna, that seemed to come out of nowhere didn't it?"

Neville probably blushed again, but his skin was already flushed thanks to the hot water, "Yeah...I don't know if we are dating, or steady...if I'm scared or thrilled...or both."

"Yeah I can understand that, more now that I ever could a year ago. I could really use somebody to talk to about this stuff. I feel completely lost, at least going up against Voldemort I just had to learn some new spells and point my wand in the right direction; it seems easy compared to dealing with my new problem."

"So you haven't decided whether you want to be King of the Gods or Devils yet?"

Harry pulled a face, "What makes you think I want to be either of those things?"

Neville's eyebrows came together in confusion, "Why wouldn't you? Forgive me, but both girls are amazingly beautiful and obviously love you. Most men would kill for a shot at power like that on top of the love of a beautiful woman."

"I guess I'm not most men then, to be honest choosing between the girls is harder than choosing between kingdoms. In fact I'm kinda scared out of my whits about the whole 'becoming a king' thing. Why can't my life ever be normal?"

The other boy nodded, "I guess I can see where you are coming from, but from over here it looks like fate is rewarding you for all the stuff it took away. And I know I'll feel safer knowing you are in charge in either place than the current two..."

Harry smiled at that, "Yeah...those two are just a bit out there huh. Seems like the only thing in all three realms that can shut them up are their daughters."

"Actually, did you know Eustus has three wives?" Neville asked.

Harry sat up at that, "Really? Sia said something about polygamy being allowed in her world...and come to think of it every time the girls talk about their 'mums' it's always plural... How did you know that?"

Neville might have darkened a shade, the steam made it hard to tell, "Well...I was totally lost the other day trying to figure out what to do about Luna, you know?" Harry nodded silently, "Well Eustus dropped by for something or another and found me sulking by the fireplace. We got to talking about my problems, and he was surprisingly helpful..."

The boy looked at Harry as he trailed off, and Harry immediately rejected where this was headed, "No! I don't think I could talk to Sia's DAD about dating her!"

"Well..you know he approves of you. Unless I'm misreading something, every time he drops by he seems to expect that you've already uh...made a move on her. He's almost happy about it when he asks, right up to the point you dash his hopes anyway. Speaking of which...you disappeared into her room for a while earlier..."

"Nothing happened Nev, we just talked about some tutoring."

He shrugged, "Well, I'm just saying, you and I are kinda in the same situation...neither one of us has a Father we can ask for advice. You should think about it."

Although it made him uncomfortable, Harry realized Neville was just trying to make a helpful suggestion, "It's different talking to him about Luna though...but I'll think about it. I mean who else am I going to ask?"

Neville smiled, "Dumbledore?"

Harry rolled his eyes, "If I need advice on the proper courtship practices of 19th century England I'll be sure to ask him. I wish...Sirius were still here." His voice caught at the last but he powered through it.

Neville nodded solemnly, "I understand mate...what about Professor Lupin? He was good friends with your dad right?"

Harry hadn't even thought of that, with Sirius gone, Remus was his only real remaining link to his parents. Maybe he should try to get hold of him. "Maybe...that's not a bad idea Nev, thanks."

-~Hogwarts Shuffle!~-

"Come in Harry." Dumbledore called through his door, and Harry entered the Headmasters office looking somewhat sheepish.

He still hadn't made up his mind whether or not to be angry that the old man kept Voldemorts capture from him, but decided that he'd save that bargaining chip until it was useful. As it was he needed information from the man and thus, it was better to try the carrot rather than the stick.

He sat down after accepting a lemon drop, something which seemed to amuse the old man to no end, "What can I do for you Harry? Everything is going well in Royal House I assume?"

He nodded, "This has been one of the best years so far at Hogwarts, though I'm sure Voldemort being out of my hair finally has a lot to do with that." So he dropped the hint, maybe he wasn't as in control of his emotions as he thought. Better try and downplay it.

Dumbledore blinked, just slightly, as he seemed to realize that maybe keeping that information to himself wasn't the wisest decision, but seeing Harry not pursuing that line of thinking he did not pursue it either, "I'm sure that having several young ladies vying for your affection has had a positive effect on your outlook as well?" His eyes sparkled, something Harry hadn't seen since first year. It was actually kind of nice, in a way.

"It is...an adjustment, one I'm making happily. However that isn't why I'm here." So it was actually why he was there, but the old man didn't need to know that.

"How can I help you then, you look like you came here on a mission."

Damn...he needed to practice in front of a mirror, "Actually sir, I was wondering if it would be possible for me to get in contact with Profes... er Remus. With Sirius...missing...I realize he is the closest thing to family I have left." Good, play the sympathy card.

The old mans face fell slightly, "I don't know if I have successfully offered my condolences for your loss Harry... I'm sure that Remus would be happy to see you, he has been somewhat distraught since we lost Sirius as well."

-~Hogwarts Shuffle!~-

Harry came flying out of the fireplace at Grimmauld and rolled, almost gracefully, to a stop. He picked himself up and began dusting his clothes, "I really need to learn how to Travel...the wizard way of doing it is complete bollox."

He began looking around for Remus, whom Dumbledore had told him was moping around the house. Since he was close he first checked the kitchen, then the drawing room. He headed up the stairs past the suspiciously silent portrait of Walburga Black and pushed open the door to the library, only to encounter a feminine scream.

Eyes wide, he retreated and closed the door behind him; hearing the sound of spellfire impact against the reinforced wood. "Harry?!" He heard Remus call out.

"Yeah! Dumbledore told me I could find you here..."

Silence for a few moments, "Give us a second?"

"Sure..I'll uh, be in the drawing room..."

He hurried back down the stairs and found a chair, and began trying to wipe the last few minutes from his mind permanently. Before too long Remus came in looking sheepish and Harry stood up nervously. The two men stood looking at each other for a moment before Remus stepped forward and they shared a very awkward hug and sat down, Harry in a chair and Remus on the couch.

"So..." Remus stated intelligently.

Harry nodded, completely understanding, "Yep."

They continued like this for another minute or so before Tonk's came around the corner and through the door. "Wotcher Harry."

"Hey..." He replied, still at a loss for words.

She looked around a bit nervously, worrying her lip and generally seeming about to trip over nothing while standing still, "So..."

Harry had had just about enough of the awkwardness and shoved it aside, mostly, "Remus and I already covered that one."

"So about...upstairs. What exactly did you.."

"More than I ever wanted to," he said with a glance at Remus who had the good sense to blush, he returned his eyes to Tonks and decided to mess with her, "And more than I thought I ever would."

"Prat! So then you know that Remus and I recently got together."

"I do now, yes." He said with a grin, "Actually, Dumbledore seemed afraid that Remus was wasting away and being depressed about Sirius... Good to see that isn't entirely true."

Remus seemed hurt by this comment and Harry thought he might have gone a bit far, "Honestly, I'm happy you two found each other."

Tonks nodded, "Well next time you think maybe you could floo ahead and warn a girl? Unless you want another eyeful."

"Or you know, technically I own this house now so maybe if I let you two stay here you could keep it in the bedroom?"

Remus was looking completely mortified, but Tonks was much closer to Harry's age and taking the ribbing quite well. She grinned at him, "I think we can manage that."

"So!" Remus interrupted.

"We already covered that one Moony!" Harry said with a smile, now that the tension was broken he was having entirely too much fun at the man's expense.

"Yes..well, as you can see I'm doing alright with Dora's help, I hope you don't think I'm a complete arse for not 'moping' around as Dumbledore seems to have depicted...I do miss him."

Harry shrugged, "Actually I'm not all that bothered about it, cheering you up was secondary to my reason for being here...I needed some advice, and I thought my parents old friend might be able to step in."

Remus sat back at that, "I'll do whatever I can...what is this about?"

Harry suddenly found his nerves again and glanced at Tonks, she seemed to understand right away, "I think I'll go make a sandwich, always works up an appetite you know." She winked at Remus as she left the room causing him to stutter.

Once she'd left the room Remus turned back to him, "Alright Harry, how can I help?"

"Well, I'm sure you know about the Gods and Devils being in our world?"

The older man nodded, "I've followed the news, though I'm not sure how much to believe when your name gets included."

Harry sighed and sat back, "In this one case, they've got it just about right. I have two beautiful women trying to woo me, and I'm completely torn up about it."

A light went off behind Remus' eyes as he understood what this conversation might entail, "All appearances aside, I've never been much for the ladies...that was always Sirius or James. But I'll try to help where I can, so what exactly is the problem?"

Harry launched into a brief tale of his time with the Princesses, and a bit about the other girls. After a few minutes Tonks poked her head back around the corner and Harry motioned her to sit down. "I'm sure you're eavesdropping anyway and maybe you can help me too."

She nodded as she sat down, "So what's the problem? Sounds to me like every teenage boys dream."

"More like nightmare...well okay it is really nice, but I have no idea what I'm doing and I have no clue how to do this without someone getting hurt."

Remus spoke, "I think it is important that you speak to each of the girls you are interested in, and let them know you don't want any hurt feelings. It might also be good to ask them to back off so that you don't feel so pressured to make a decision right away. After all, you are only 16 with another year of school to go before you should be considering marriage. There is plenty of time to get to know them all better."

Tonks was worrying her lip again and Harry turned to her, "Alright Tonks, you look like you have something to add?"

"Well..now Remus don't hate me for saying this, because your idea to talk to them is good. But for at least two of them...you say they are both totally in love with you?"

Harry shrugged, "That is what they tell me."

"And they both know the other one is in love with you as well, yet they are still friends? They don't hate each other, they don't fight?"

"Actually they are best friends, closer than sisters in a lot of ways. I don't think I've ever really seen them fight over anything."

Tonks nodded, "Well...and if this were any other bloke, in any other situation, I would curse you sideways and backwards for trying it. But it sounds to me like you could have both of them."

Harry's brain rebooted at the flood of images that were conjured, the same as when Sia told him in that strange voice, that polygamy was legal in her world. "But...but that isn't right! Is it?"

Remus scooted forward on the couch, "Well...having a mistress is still fairly normal in British Wizard society, though it isn't exactly accepted, it is tolerated. However if you were to become a Prince of one of these worlds then you would likely be living there much of the time, and following their laws, adopting their morals."

He shook his head, sudden reality settling on him, "But what about the others? I'm not certain I even want Sia or Rina.."

"Others?" Tonks asked in confusion.

Remus explained, "I see you didn't overhear all of the details before you were invited in. You see Harry is involved with Ginny as well, and possibly Hermione from the sound of it."

Tonks' eyes darkened as her hand twitched toward her wand, "Okay I take back what I said! I'm tempted to call you a selfish git and hex you anyway! What are you thinking!"

Harry was the one sitting back in his chair, trying to force a few extra inches between himself and the angry witch. Luckily Remus put an arm around her, both to calm her down and to restrain her wand hand, "Now Dora, he hasn't yet done anything to deserve that. He came for advice, you shouldn't be so quick to punish him for having the presence of mind to ask for it before anyone got hurt."

The Auror seemed to relax a bit, but still had a scowl on her face, "Ginny has been after you forever, so it doesn't surprise me. And from what I have heard, you and Hermione might as well have been an item for quite some time. How are they acting around each other, and around the other girls?"

"Hermione...it seems more like she is just flirting with me. I'm not sure it actually means anything or not but it definitely opened up my eyes to the fact that she is an attractive woman as well as one of my best friends. Even if I am not actively interested in her...I can't help thinking about it. You know?"

"And then Ginny...we got a lot closer over the summer, she was the only one who wrote to me on a regular basis even against Dumbledore's orders. We might as well be dating, except she seems to think she isn't worth loving... She wants me to date anyone but her, yet we still keep...getting closer." He stopped himself going into to much detail, both for his own safety and to protect her secrets.

Tonks sighed, "Alright kid, I'll let you off with a warning here. Sounds like seeing you with the others has reminded Hermione that you are fanciable. I don't know that she is after anything more than a little flirty fun with you, and I'm not sure whether you need to discuss that with her or just let it be. That will mostly depend on whichever other girl you chose to be with and how she reacts to your relationship heading in that direction. I'm definitely the jealous type, but I think I could tolerate if Wolfy here had a close female friend who flirted and joked around with him, as long as I could trust them both not to cross a line." She took a moment to glance Moony's way, "Not without permission at least.

Remus' eyes grew a bit wider at that revelation but Tonks didn't give him a chance to react just now, "As for Ginny... it sounds like she's got issues, lord knows she has reason to have issues from what I've pieced together of her life since Hogwarts, but I'm not sure that being in a relationship with her would be healthy for you. Love the girl, I really do, but the lads at work have picked up a Muggle saying that is both worthy of a good hexing, and completely applicable in this situation. 'Don't stick your..." She paused for a second, "That is, 'Don't put your willy in crazy'."

She cut off his denial and defense of Ginny's honor, "I'm not saying she's crazy, it's boiled down from a longer statement about not taking advantage of women with issues, no matter how much they seem to want it. I'm not going to tell you not to try a relationship with her, or even to fool around with her, but I am warning you to make sure you understand what the consequences are if you do. She can go on about how much she wants you to be with other girls all she wants, but deep down it is going to bother her. If you want her stay your friend, you have to be sure she isn't going to snap. If that means you can be nothing but friends then so be it, and if she can't handle not being with you then you might have to put distance between you. Not to mention Molly's reaction if she thinks you are using her daughter in any demeaning way."

Harry really didn't know where to go from here, all he could say was, "Uhg."

"That sums it up nicely, it's a bloody mess you've gotten yourself into this time. But you seem to beat the odds every year, why should this be any different?"

He placed his head in his hands and shook it softly, "Why can't I just be normal? Ha, normal...I was just wishing all I had to worry about was girls, and now all I CAN worry about is girls."

"Speaking of," Remus stated, "They are probably wondering where you are, if you didn't notify them of the change in plans before you left the Headmasters office."

He sighed and stood up, "Yeah, I should probably be heading back. Thank you both for your help, I don't know how much good it will do, but at least I got a mature point of view..." he smiled at Tonks, "Well, mostly mature."

"Damn straight! I'm immature and he's too mature, I think we even each other out nicely."

Harry smiled as he headed back toward the hall and the floo with the couple following him, "I think you look good together, but Tonks."

"Yes?"

"Moony's the only family I have left, don't hurt him or I'll return the favor."

Something about the way he said that caused her to gulp. Sure he was just an under trained teenager but he'd faced Voldemort more than anyone alive except possibly Dumbledore, "I don't think you have to worry about that Tiger. Now go back to your harem."

He tossed the floo powder and headed back to the Castle to sleep on the advice he'd been given.

******Authors Note:**

******So another chapter, sort of transitional...very episodic, but then, the pacing is somewhat based on the anime episodes of Shuffle so it makes some sense that this is like watching a Harry Potter show. To be honest, I wasn't thrilled with this chapter but knew I had to keep writing if I wanted to get back to the good stuff. What I am trying to avoid is wrapping everything up too fast...then again, I could just go with it, get it over with, and move on to another story that is going to be longer naturally.**

******Only time will tell I guess, what pacing and how long it will take to fully tell my crossover story. Feel free to express whether you'd like just a quick but good story with plenty of plot elements, or a longer story with more of a story arc and realism. I can do either way.**


	14. Chapter 14

******Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, plot and interactions are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

******Hogwarts Shuffle! Chapter Fourteen**

******10/19 – Saturday**

It took Harry two weeks and the threat of not taking her out the next weekend, before he was able to get Sia into the room of requirement for a training session. They had been working on her wand movements and incantations for over an hour now and she had at least a proficiency in all of the spell work to date. Her biggest problem had been ignoring the subtleties in the wand movements; which was somewhat funny to Harry (though he didn't laugh at her) because he'd recently been working on removing most of those movements himself. He figured removing the wand movements was the next step after learning to cast silently, and should help him to master her type of magic.

Speaking of which, "Alright Sia! I think you've done really well but we should stop before you get bored and start making mistakes."

She smiled at him and a shiver ran down his back, all of the touching they had done during the training session; while he had helped her perfect the small movements. It was just like their hands bumping in the movie theater, but constant. He wondered if those sparks he felt could actually be real.

"Hermione and Ginny were right, you really are a great teacher." She said.

He shrugged off the compliment, "Nah, I just...think about what would have been the easiest way for someone to describe it to me, and then I adjust that to the person I'm teaching. Anybody can do that."

She rolled her eyes and grinned, "Not just anybody can be a competent teacher, and even fewer are good at it. Thank you!"

He was starting to get embarrassed and could feel the temperature rising in his cheeks, "Well, since I'm not going to be agreeing with you any time soon. Why don't you try and teach me some of your magic?"

Her forehead wrinkled as she thought about it, he found that look very cute. "I'm...not even sure how to begin..."

"Well, what's the first thing you are taught about how to control your magic?"

She shook her head, "There is a problem here, we're coming at it backwards. When we first start using magic, it is all we can do NOT to do it. There is no trying, it's just there. The problem is in getting to small things."

He nodded, "You mean like summoning the milk from the refrigerator instead of summoning the refrigerator?"

She shook her head, "More like summoning a drink instead of summoning the kitchen...or the cow..or a whole farm."

He pondered that for a minute before speaking again, "When I was little, I remember little things happening like summoning a toy that I wanted but nobody would give me. But then...my Aunt didn't like that, they were Dudley's toys so I stopped doing that pretty fast I think."

"Do you remember doing anything...bigger?" Sia asked him.

"I turned my Aunt into a balloon and made her float away...I wasn't consciously thinking about it though, I just wanted her to go away."

Her eyes lit up a bit, "That is closer to what I'm talking about, you know what you want, you just don't know exactly how you want it to happen. Or you do know how you want it to happen, but it happens in a completely different way. You have to get a _Feel_ for the magic."

"Did I hear a capital letter in that?" He asked, "It doesn't sound like you mean just a tingle."

She appeared to be straining a bit, trying to find a way to explain it to him, "Okay, I remember you saying you lit up your wand once without touching it. Do you think you can do that on purpose?"

"I don't know, I never tried." He said with a shrug.

He placed his wand on the ground and said the incantation a few times with no results. Pausing for a moment he thought back to that day, the way he felt with the Dementors bearing down on him, his panic at trying to find his wand in the dark, there had been...a Pull on his magic. Why hadn't he noticed it before?

"Lumos!" He whispered, eyes still closed. He felt that pull, centering somewhere in his chest, and he tried to grab hold of it. His face was scrunched up in concentration and his head was tilted to one side, the feeling was slippery like it was looking for a way out, trying to get away from him. He imagined his wand being in his hand and felt the direction of the...Pull...change suddenly only to be met with a block, it wasn't liquid exactly, but he could feel the pressure building as if there was some sort of dam in the way. He pushed harder, thinking about his wand...

And was smacked in the face by the wand as it shot off the floor toward him. "Ouch!"

Sia giggled at him as he rubbed his forehead and retrieved his wand off the floor, "That wasn't funny..."

"I'm sorry," she remarked seriously before bursting out in giggles again, her laughter was infectious and he soon found himself laughing along with her. "So were you trying to summon your wand?" She finally asked.

He shook his head, "No I was trying to light it, but it was like the magic was searching for something..a way out...so I was concentrating on the feeling of my wand, the movement...I guess I finally pushed hard enough but was concentrating too much on the wand, and not on the spell."

She nodded, "You can kinda see what we go through, you wanted to cast Lumos, but you needed your wand to do it, so the magic interpreted your need as a summons instead."

He thought about it for a second, moving over to a couch that appeared in the room and sitting down. "How does it feel when you cast with a wand?"

She looked up at the ceiling for a few moments, trying to describe it, "I'm already used to Feeling my magic, wrestling it under control to make it do what I want...Normally I have to grab hold of it, fight it for dominance. It takes less time the more you practice and the older you get; to get it under control. But reaching out for the magic is always a fight. When I use a wand...for one thing, it is really hard to push my magic through this little stick instead of through my body...think of it like trying to hook up a garden hose to a fire hydrant."

He nodded, "So not only do you have to fight the magic to gain control, but you also have channel only enough to do what you want without overpowering it?"

She grinned, "That sounds exactly like it."

He nodded, "So when you were trying to banish that pillow earlier, and instead you kept lighting it on fire. It was more like magical overload...like the hose exploded?"

She nodded, slightly but it was a nod, and her forehead wrinkled again, "Sort of, that is a mixed metaphor though... Actually, hearing you say it like that makes me feel a lot better. It isn't that I _can't_ do it, it is just that I am putting too much into it..." Her eyes brightened as she found his and she smiled again, making his heart jump, "Thank you Harry, I feel so much better now!"

He looked away from her shyly, trying not to blush, "Well I'm trying to understand so I can learn your way of doing things, once I figured that out for myself it was easy to apply to your problem."

She turned his head to face her with a finger and locked eyes with him, "I really do appreciate everything you've done for me Harry..."

He found himself leaning toward her eyes, his own kept darting to her lips and back again, the smile could be seen creasing the corners of her eyes and her own cheeks were starting to glow, though it didn't look like a blush...more like a flush... "It was nothing...reall-."

She cut him off by pressing her lips to his, very briefly but it was like a jolt of electricity from his lips, through his brain and straight down to his toes and fingertips. He found himself leaning into the kiss and his arms came up around her waist even as hers went over his shoulders. The kiss itself seemed to have been building for weeks, ever since their day out to the cinema, and it was everything he could have hoped a first kiss would be. If he'd been at all coherent enough to think, he'd have realized that his kiss with Cho hadn't been anything close, exciting sure, but no feeling behind it.

They both pulled away slowly before his shyness overwhelmed him and he let her go, grinning and blushing. For Sia's part, she looked flushed and hungry, and incredibly happy as a grin brighter than the sun graced her features. "So uh...you...said you had to wrestle," he coughed nervously, "you had to fight to get a hold of the magic...I don't think I've ever felt that..."

She sighed, slightly, before getting back to business. Her lips were still tingling and she couldn't drop the smile, but she began working with him on how to Feel the magic.

**-~Hogwarts Shuffle!~-**

******10/21– Monday**

Harry had gotten used to having someone wake him up on school days, normally Ginny would either climb in bed with him, or knock on his door to make sure he was up. She would set out his clothes for the day before taking a shower, polish his wand...all manner of little things to let him know she cared. He kept trying to stop her but she never listened, and to tell the truth his protestations were becoming both less frequent and less heartfelt. A guy could definitely get used to being pampered.

Which is why it was odd that he woke on his own this morning, he saw that his clothes were set out on the dresser as usual but there was no perky redhead sleeping in with him. Picking up his wand he cast a spell to display the time, thanking Hermione mentally for the food preservative spell Hermione had adapted for his contacts, only to swear loudly as he threw off the covers and jumped out of bed. At this rate he had already missed breakfast and would just barely make it to first period.

He rushed his morning routine, barely taking time to cast a freshening charm on his mouth and to tame his hair in the enchanted mirror, ignoring the commentary on how hopeless it was, as usual. Dashing from the room he saw Hermione heading for the door. "Mione!"

The girl turned and looked up at him, "Harry? We thought you and Ginny had gone down to breakfast already."

He shook his head as he descended the stairs, "She didn't wake me up this morning..."

Hermione rolled her eyes and smiled at him, "You really shouldn't let her do that you know, you're getting lazy."

"I know, I know...but she won't stop. She says it makes her happy and I'm only human, it isn't like I force her to do it, and it isn't like I treat her like a house elf."

Hermione nodded, "You treat house elves rather well, which is the only reason I stopped complaining about Dobby. Maybe she's running behind as well? She's the only one of us who prefers her showers in the morning, you might check to see if she's still getting ready. I have to run though, I just came back after breakfast to grab my books, I'll see you in Charms."

He nodded and turned back for the stairs as Hermione exited the tower. He first went to her room and knocked on the door, when there was no response he called her name and slowly opened the door only to find the room empty. Next he checked Gabby's room just in case the other fifth year was running behind as well but still no luck.

His only remaining choice in the tower was to check the bath, as he opened the outer door he saw her clothes neatly folded in one of the baskets, her green panties laying on top...and pushed that thought away quickly. "Hey Gin? You know we've already missed breakfast right? I know you have a free period this morning but I just wanted to see if you were okay."

He waited nervously for a few seconds, listening to the sound of running water from the shower. After a few more seconds without a response he began to get worried, "Ginny?" He called again through the door, "I'm coming in..."

He took a few deep breaths to calm himself, hoping this was just some ploy to get him into the bath with her, and slid the door open. He walked into the room and quickly scanned from one side to the other, where the shower head was on and Ginny lay naked on the floor with water streaming over her still form. He rushed the few steps to her and knelt down on the floor, images of the Chamber coming unbidden to his mind. "Ginny!"

He rolled her over into his arms, carefully cradling her head and neck and checking for injuries. He reached up with a grimace and turned off the scalding water. The movement apparently woke the girl enough to recognize his voice, but she didn't open her eyes. "Harry?"

He picked her up, regardless of her state of undress, and carried her into his room and lay her down on his bed. He was panicking slightly, checking her from head to toe for injuries and making sure that the red skin he saw wasn't in need of immediate healing. Luckily it seemed she was more flushed than burnt, again she called his name softly, this time opening her eyes.

"Harry? What happened?"

He smiled in relief as he saw her twin brown orbs glint slightly in the light of the window, and moved up beside her. "You gave me a bit of a scare, I found you collapsed on the floor of the bath."

Her eyes widened slightly as she realized she was in his room, "Oh! I'm sorry. Let me get back to my room and..." She blushed, though it was barely visible on her flushed face, "Find some clothes..."

He blushed as well and pulled the sheet up so she had some semblance of modesty, "I think you should stay here, and I think I should go get Pomfrey to check on you."

She struggled, trying to sit up and shaking her head, "No it's okay, I'm fine now. You need to get to class, I can take care of myself. You don't need to take care of me."

He put a hand on her shoulder and easily forced her back onto his pillow. "Gin, you need to rest at least for a while. I don't want to leave you here by yourself when we don't even know if you hit your head or had a stroke or something."

She sighed, pouting slightly, "I've been feeling a little sick for the last couple days, just tired from all the studying I thought, but honestly I don't feel like I hit my head or anything."

He got a stern look on his face, "You need to take better care of yourself, and not worry so much about me."

"I like worrying about you, it's okay. I just need to take it easy for a while. Please Harry, you go to class. I have a free period this morning so I can rest here. If I don't feel better I'll go see the nurse."

"I'm staying here until you are ready to go to the hospital wing, and then I'm going there with you to make sure you don't collapse again."

"No!" She protested, "You need to go to class...I promise I won't go without you. Why don't you come back for me between first and second period and then you can go to class while I get checked out. You need to go right now though! You're already late!"

He sighed, "You promise to stay right here until I get back?" she nodded, "Alright, I'm ordering you to stay here though, don't think I won't know."

She grinned at that, "Yes master, Gin will be good while you are away."

"Stop that!" He knew she could see the smile pulling at the corner of his mouth by the way her own smile broke across her flushed cheeks. "I'll be back in an hour to take you to the hospital wing."

"Okay Harry."

**-~Hogwarts Shuffle!~-**

He was late to Charms, but went straight to Professor Flitwick and let him know the situation so he wasn't docked any points or assigned any detentions. He was also told he could leave class early if he completed the reading and the quiz. He sat down at the long table with the others, who were all giving him questioning looks.

"Good morning Harry." Nerine and Sia said at almost the same time, both with bright smiles though Rina was slightly more subdued as normal.

"Why are you getting to class late?" Rina asked.

He looked to Hermione who shook her head, "I didn't get a chance to tell them yet."

"Tell us what?" Sia asked in confusion.

He sighed as he opened his book to the chapter on the board, "Ginny passed out in the shower this morning, I got her back to my room and she is resting until after class since she has a free period. Then I'm taking her to the hospital wing for a checkup."

Both of the Princesses nodded sadly, Hermione though was the first to realize where he'd found the girl. "So you found her in the Shower?"

Ron finally caught on at that, "Oi! What are you doing peeping on my sister in the shower!?"

Harry put a hand over the redheads mouth and smiled benignly at his Professor, then turned back to him, "I was the only other one in the tower and she was missing. Lucky I found her in there or she'd have likely cooked herself as hot as she likes the water."

"And why.." Ron suddenly lowered his voice as he saw Harry's hand coming toward him again, "And why do you know how hot she likes her showers?" He whispered dangerously.

Hermione interrupted the argument before it could begin, "Ron, she is the youngest in your family. Everyone at the burrow shares the one bathroom and your heating charms are not the best, trust me. So she probably enjoys a nice long hot shower, so what? That also explains why she prefers to shower in the mornings I suppose, she still hasn't gotten used to the open showers and sharing a bath with us..."

The boys eyes glazed over slightly at the thought of the three girls present showering and bathing together, Harry...well he was fighting the image as hard as he could, and luckily it wasn't that much harder than Veela Allure or the Imperious curse... He snapped his fingers in front of the boys face, "In any case, I know how hot because I had to reach through that scalding water to turn off the tap. I barely even realized she was naked Ron, it was an emergency!"

The other boy pulled a face at that, "Merlin, did you have to put that image in my head? I was just having a nice daydream and you had to go and spoil it."

Harry was breathing and counting to ten, more and more thankful that Ron hadn't moved to Royal Tower with them after all. He was a good friend most of the time, but things would definitely be a lot more awkward with him around. It was bad enough with Neville, and they were getting along great. At least Neville had Luna to keep him distracted most of the time.

Getting back on track Harry refocused the conversation, "In any event, I'm going to get her after class and taking her to Pomfrey. The quicker I finish the reading and take the quiz, the sooner I can go take care of her."

With that, he turned around and dug into the text. Before he knew it he'd gotten through the reading and Flitwick was there to hand him the quiz questions on parchment, he answered them without much problem and spared a glance at the clock behind the Professors desk. If he left now he'd be back to the tower with 20 minutes to spare before second period, and be able to miss most of the between class rush.

He got up and handed his quiz to the Professor with a nod, "Mr Potter, I can see you are very worried about a certain redhead, but please do not rush and get yourself hurt on the way back. If something happened to you I'm afraid that girl might hurt herself..."

So apparently it wasn't just Harry who had noticed Ginny's odd behavior, he really needed to work on that... Thanking the Professor he left to go back to the Tower.

**-~Hogwarts Shuffle!~-**

When Harry reached the stairs he made the decision to go down instead of up, instead heading for the hospital wing. Several minutes later he was walking in just as Pomfrey came out of her office.

"Oh Mr. Potter, what have you done to yourself this time?" She asked with a smile.

He smiled back sheepishly, "It isn't actually me this time, I'm here for a friend. You know Ginny Weasley of course,"

"Of course." She responded.

"Well this morning I found her passed out in the sho..." He quickly rethought his approach, "That is, I found her running a fever and passed out. She seemed fine when I left her, alert but weak. She convinced me to let her rest through first period instead of bringing her directly to you for a check-up. Any chance you can come back to the tower with me rather than carrying her down here if she can't walk?"

The matron nodded and went to her office, quickly gathering a bag of potions and instruments before joining him in the corridor. They made their way back up the several flights of stairs to Royal Tower and Harry unlocked the door with his palm print. He lead her up the stairs and to his room, not seeing the slight questioning look from Pomfrey at his name on the door.

He knocked, "Gin? I have Madam Pomfrey with me to check up on you. Are you decent?"

He heard some slight shuffling before she called back for them to come in. Poppy headed directly for the girl in Harry's bed with only a sheet over her and felt her head for a temperature and then began waving her wand in intricate patterns. "Well Miss Weasley, you appear to be suffering from a slight witches cold as well as fatigue...and you have a slight concussion, I assume from collapsing earlier?"

Ginny blushed slightly, "I didn't collapse, I just slipped. I'm still getting used to the open showers and the water all over the floor."

The older witch looked up at Harry for a moment critically, "Whatever the case, you are going to be restricted to your bed until that concussion passes, I can give you a potion for it but I'm afraid there is a negative interaction between that and the one to speed along the cold. You'll be on bed rest for at least the rest of the day, and I'll check on you tomorrow to make certain the injury has passed before I administer a pepper up to help you burn through the illness."

Ginny struggled to get out of bed, letting the sheet slip enough for Poppy to see that she was at least topless beneath the sheets. "No! I can't be stuck here, someone has to take care of Harry!"

Her fight was in vain however, as she was extremely weak and easily subdued by the matron. "Mr. Potter, I realize this is your room but would you mind stepping outside while I examine Miss Weasley more thoroughly?"

"I don't mind if he stays..." Ginny said bashfully.

Poppy looked about to retort but Harry beat her to it, "No Gin! I'm fine, take your time Madam Pomfrey. I'll wait outside."

And he did, he waited nervously outside his door, pacing back and forth for a few minutes wondering what else could have been broken on the girl, and what impression Poppy must have gotten to find her naked and in his bed. He was busily trying to think of excuses that wouldn't mortally embarrass himself or Ginny when Poppy exited the room and pulled the door closed behind her.

"You heard the instructions Mr Potter?"

"I think so, just make sure she stays in bed right?"

The matron nodded, "She took quite a fall, nothing she hasn't done worse than on a broom, but the cold is making things more difficult. I apologize for kicking you out of the room, but I had to allay a few suspicions."

Harry quickly defended both himself and Ginny, "There was nothing going on I swear!"

The woman's eyes softened, "I know Harry, I just had to make certain as well as discuss a few other matters with her that you couldn't be privy to. She seems to think very highly of you and I know you wouldn't hurt her intentionally. Please be careful of her feelings, and make sure she doesn't leave the bed until tomorrow morning at the earliest. I assume you can sleep in one of the other rooms?"

Harry nodded, there were several empty rooms in the tower still, "That shouldn't be a problem...about her..state of dress?"

Poppy frowned, "She will need help getting anything on at this point, and with the fever it would likely make her very uncomfortable to do so. Luckily you have several females in this house that can help out in that department, correct?"

Harry nodded dumbly, he really should have asked Hermione to do this..it would have been much less awkward. Poppy saw him nodding and smiled once more, "Alright then, I've done all I can do here. Normally I would keep her in a hospital bed but I'm trusting you and your friends to alert me to any change in her condition. One of you should probably wake her up every couple of hours to make certain she is alert. If anything at all seems abnormal please use the floo to make an in building call to my office. Now if I'm not mistaken, second period will be starting in roughly 10 minutes. I'm going to head back to my office just in case any of the first years had trouble in their flying lesson."

With that the matron went down the stairs and stepped through the fireplace with a flash of green. Harry was about to turn to leave when he heard Ginny call his name. Steeling himself and clearing his head he opened the door and went back into the room. "Hey Gin, so you don't do things by half huh?"

Ginny rolled her eyes but didn't dispute the claim, she reached out a hand and he took it, "Thank you for saving me again, I promise I'll make it up to you if its the last thing I do."

He groaned inwardly, "Gin, it's what any friend would have done, I'm just glad you're going to be okay. You really need to take better care of yourself and not spend so much time and energy on me. Next time you feel sick its okay to take a day or two off."

She smiled, "I promise I'll take better care of myself, but I won't stop helping you, I love having you need me in so many little ways, it makes me feel complete."

He sighed as he realized just how dependent on those little things she did for him he had become and smiled back at her, "Alright, I need to go to class but you heard Pomfrey. You don't get to leave this bed until tomorrow."

She got a wicked gleam in her eye but he cut her off, "And don't call me master!"

**-~Hogwarts Shuffle!~-**

Harry had returned to check on Ginny at lunch to find her sleeping peacefully, he'd checked her temperature for all the good it did him, noticing only that she seemed just as warm as she had when he'd first found her. Instead of waking her he had flooed the hospital wing to ask Mm Pomfrey to arrange an elf to bring a tray if Ginny woke up.

In classes the others had noticed how preoccupied he was, both Rina and Sia found it incredibly endearing that he cared so much for his friend, even if she might be considered competition. Hermione already knew how much Harry cared for his friends and expected nothing less of him, while Ron seemed to shrug off the knowledge that his sister was sick though she was fairly certain she could see the worry in his eyes.

He skipped dinner to go check on her, having just scanned himself into the tower and blindly heading toward the stairs up to their rooms. He nearly missed the two adults sitting on opposing couches and playing a game of chess.

Eustus noticed his entry first, "Harry! Just the son-in-law I was hoping to see!"

Harry stopped dead in his tracks and turned to the two, nothing really good seemed to come from these surprise visits. "Hello sir, we don't normally see you mid-week like this."

Forbes nodded and motioned to one of the other comfy looking chairs near the table. "Indeed, however we need to check on Gabrielle and were awaiting her return from classes."

"Why?" Harry asked curiously as he sat down, "Is something the matter?"

The King of Gods shook his head and smiled as he returned his attention to the board, nudging one of the pawns forward; which seemed to be fighting the movement. "Nothing like that Harry, as you know Gabby is quite special and these are quite special circumstances. We simply wanted to ascertain her progress since moving here to be with you and the others."

Forbes motioned for his knight to move forward, and the pawn was skewered unceremoniously on its pike before being tossed off to the side of the board, Eustus frowned, "We need to take young Gabrielle back to my realm for a checkup, I promise she will be returned to you safe and sound before tomorrow morning."

Eustus grunted and motioned for his rook to charge half the board and take out the Knight with a shield bash and a quick stab into the horses neck. The piece then picked up the body and spun around before flinging it into the growing pile of red pieces. "But since you are here, why don't we talk about how your courtship of my daughter is going? I heard good things about your date with Sia." He said with a grin.

Forbes was studying the board again so Harry took an opportunity to answer, "I'm afraid there really hasn't been much time or inclination to explore our relationship further...is there some rush?"

The Red Bishop slid diagonally and took out the Rook without preamble, simply gesturing with its staff and causing the rook to slowly shuffle itself from the board with a guilty and dejected look. "I suppose there is really no rush, we are just excited to find out what decision you've made. Speaking of which, it really isn't fair that you have taken Sia for a date but not my Nerine."

Harry nodded, "I know...I don't enjoy being indecisive but I don't want anyone to get hurt... I'll try to take her out this weekend just to keep things fair. I don't want to cause any ill feelings between them."

Eustus seemed to become animated as he moved his Queen toward the middle of the board for the kill, decapitating the bishop with her chair before sitting back down. "Check! Now Harry...I know our worlds are different, but surely teenage boys are the same everywhere? Don't you want to explore things with as many girls as you can before making a decision? I mean, we're talking about marriage here. I had several relationships before I settled down with my first wife, as did she."

Forbes placed his pawn between the King and the White Queen, "I'll thank you not to talk about Cineraria like that, you make her sound like...what is it you say Harry? A Scarlet Woman?"

Harry nodded even though he was getting lost, Eustus slid his Queen back a few squares to take up a guard position for his own King as he'd just realized he was in danger himself. Both sides Kings were center board, which Harry found rather odd, as he always kept his own far from the action as possible,

"I said no such thing! I was just saying, that in both your world and mine, sex is just another part of getting to know your potential life partners." Suddenly Harry's eyes went wide and he felt like he was choking on his own tongue, when did they start talking about sex?

Forbes nodded and stared at the board with a frown on his face, "Well yes, but it appears that things are much less progressive in the Magical World of this realm, I know the non-Magicals have taken many steps forward in this regard, but it seems the long lives of those with magic lead to much slower advances in societal change."

Harry cleared his throat, feeling a need to defend his own dignity..in a strange way, "I cannot speak for anyone outside of the school, but I'd say that attitude is prevalent among the teenagers in this school if the stories I've heard about prefect patrols are to be believed."

Eustus too was staring at the board with a frown, "Well then? I don't want to be accused of throwing my daughter at you..." Harry coughed, trying to stifle an outraged laugh at that, "but Sia at least is obviously receptive to any advance you might want to make. I dare say the same for all the girls in Royal House if not the total female population of the school. You should really take a chance to _explore _your options, I promise our girls would understand...and likely be appreciative of your efforts."

Harry understood what they were trying to say, not that he believed them entirely, but had no experience with the subject and chose to be diplomatic in his response, "I...see what you are saying... Though I don't know if my own morals and experience would allow me to...explore...as you put it. I _will_ try to at least take Nerine out soon, but I don't have the slightest clue how to begin choosing anyone, or even if I'll choose either of them."

Eustus sighed at the board, Both kings were locked one square from each other, and the queens had them boxed in on either side along with one pawn and one bishop each, "Damn...stalemate again, when will we learn to stick to games of chance?"

While it was not a pretty picture, it wasn't exactly a stalemate either, "Sir, you could still move your pieces..."

Eustus nodded, "True, but at what cost? We are evenly matched at the moment, and every move would bring devastation on both sides. One of us might end up winning but there would be no other pieces left."

Forbes smiled as he sat back from the board, "We've been playing strategy games for decades, as did our fathers before that. I think it may be best that all we can do is face each other down, I find it funny that it is almost always our Queens that put us in this position."

"Well we've tried adding Queens and that just seems to make it worse, how about a nice game of Dice later? I'll bring the wine."

"That sounds like a plan, once we get back from my realm. Let us not forget the real reason we stopped by today." Forbes said, somewhat ominously.

Just as he finished, the door opened and the rest of the house mates entered, talking animatedly. All except for Gabrielle who walked in silently and stood before the two men. "I'm ready to go."

"Go?" Hermione asked.

Sia nodded, though her eyes were sad, "Gabby has a checkup in the Devil realm, it won't take long."

Nerine smiled sadly, "This is much better than her being cooped up in that facility full time, she will be coming back soon. Won't she Daddy?"

Forbes nodded as he stood, "I haven't seen much to indicate a reason for this to be anything more than routine. She'll be back for classes in the morning, though she will be staying the night for observation."

Harry was still not comfortable with this, he stood as Eustus did and Gabrielle walked around the table and wrapped her arms around him, her head didn't even reach his chin thanks to a small growth spurt on his part. "I'll miss you Harry."

He returned the hug, "It's only one night, I'll see you tomorrow for breakfast okay?"

She nodded and took Eustus' offered hand, and they left the tower together. Forbes turned at the last moment, "Oh and Harry? We went ahead and removed the extra rooms from the tower for now and made each of yours more comfortable."

Harry was confused as he answered, "Thank you?"

**-~Hogwarts Shuffle!~-**

A somewhat morose Harry headed up the stairs to check on Ginny, who he found where he'd left her in his bed. She was laying on top of the covers once again and thankfully, she had procured one of his tee shirts. It wasn't that he disliked looking at her nude form, far from it, but it definitely helped him keep his mind on the task at hand.

He sat lightly on the bed and looked around his expanded room. There was now an extra dresser for some reason, and another closet. He didn't think he'd ever have enough clothes to fill all the space, but figured it was normal for a King to expect he would. The bed seemed larger too, wider than it had been last time he'd seen it. He briefly wondered if the old perverts had actually been in his room with the nude girl and found himself growling and huffing at the thought.

There was a knock on his door and he called out for the visitor to enter, "Harry?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Hey." Was all he replied, still contemplating his surroundings.

"How is she?"

He turned his head back to the girl in his bed and placed a hand gently on her forehead. "She isn't running a fever any longer, if I had to guess I'd say the concussion potion did it's work and her magic recovered enough to fight off the cold on its own."

The girl nodded, though still looked worried about something. He turned to look at her, "I'm sure she's fine now Hermione. If anyone knows anything about being sick or broken its me...or possibly you. Surely you've read a book or two on healing?"

She looked up at that with a smile, "Of course I have you prat, who is going to take care of you until we can get you to the hospital wing next time you do something brave and reckless." He shared her grin before turning back to the sleeping girl. Hermione continued, "That isn't what I came up here for to be honest. We seem to have a slight problem."

She now had his full attention, "What is it?"

"As you know there are seven of us staying in the tower..."

Harry really had no clue where she was going with this, and her nerves were starting to catch on to him, he gulped for some reason. "Yeah?"

"There are only six rooms now..."

"What?!" He exclaimed, quickly getting up and heading back out to the balcony and counting the rooms quickly. "What do those bastards think they are doing!?"

Luna walked up and answered is question rather succinctly, "If I had to guess, I would think they were hoping you would be sharing your room with someone."

Harry closed his eyes and began counting as he breathed in and out, when he opened them he smiled at the blonde. "Thank you Luna. I guess I'll have to move in with Neville then."

"Oh you can't do that, my room has already been combined with his. He was upset for a few minutes but I quickly changed his mind."

Harry looked at Hermione for help, "I thought you said there were 6 rooms?"

"There are..." She replied hesitantly.

Luna smiled back serenely, "There were, when I moved my things into his room the two combined."

"Luna! You can't just start living with him! It's... It..."

"Is perfectly natural, after all Neville and I like each other and it isn't as if anyone is going to be hurt...unless he enjoys that sort of thing in which case I'm sure I can accommodate his tastes."

The now stuttering and blushing brunette was at a loss for words to reply, so she turned back to Harry who held up his hands in resignation. "Gin and Gabby were sharing my bed nearly every night without anything happening. I guess we can deal with this in a mature manner until I can get my hands on those two and beat the sense back into them..." Unbeknownst to Harry, his eyes were shining again and a palpable aura of malice was filling the air near him as he contemplated the situation he faced. That was quickly disturbed by Sia and Nerine putting a hand on his shoulders as they came up behind him.

"Oh Harry isn't it wonderful?" Sia asked him brightly. "I think we should set up a schedule!"

Harry blinked...then blinked again and looked up to Hermione for help, unfortunately she appeared confused as well. "Schedule?"

Nerine grinned shyly at him, glancing from the corner of her eye as a blush infused her face, "For those of us who want to share your bed. We've been thinking about it for a while, since Gabby and Ginny started doing it."

"I... I..." Harry stuttered, "I don't..." He coughed, "I can just kip out on the couches downstairs, I don't know if..."

Sia got a wide eyed look on her face and grinned at him as she clapped her hands, "Oh! That's even better, You can just share our beds instead!"

"What? No!" Harry was feeling trapped...and yet there was a definite part of him, the part that the girls father had spoken to, the teenage boy with raging hormones, that was beginning to come round to the idea.

Apparently Hermione could see his resolve cracking, "Harry you can't do this!"

"Why not?" He asked, suddenly making his decision. "Nobody will get hurt as long as everybody understands the rules. It isn't like I plan on doing anything besides sleeping anyway."

Hermione was forced to accept the plan, but decided she had to protect him from himself if she could. "Fine, you can sl..sleep with me...tonight. Then we can figure this out tomorrow."

A stunned Harry just looked at his best friend...he hadn't expected her to be part of the rotation even if they'd been flirting playfully lately. He wasn't sure just how he felt about the idea. "Uh...okay..."

Sia and Nerine both had disappointed looks on their faces for a few moments before Sia smiled at her counterpart, "That's okay, I call dibs on tomorrow night and Rina can have the next."

Harry felt like the entire thing was getting out of control and decided to put a stop to it. "Wait! We are forgetting Ginny is sick in my bedroom right now. I think I need to stay with her tonight to make sure she's going to be okay."

Hermione wasn't entirely happy with that, but as he'd stated, he'd already been sleeping with Ginny and nothing had happened so at least that would keep him safe for a night. "I can work out a schedule tomorrow then..."

"My clothes are still in here too!" he said in sudden inspiration, before his face fell and he dashed back into the room, checking the other dresser and peeking into the other closet. He walked back out of the room sullenly, "So are Ginny's. I guess whatever those two idiots did decided she was living with me..."

Sia smiled at him, "Well she is kind of like your maid and it will save time in the morning for her to lay out your clothes."

Nerine perked up a little at this, with a distant look she said, "Daddy married his maid, I've heard the story from my mother many times."

Harry sighed, "I still wish they would ASK before doing something this boneheaded! I'm not going to make Ginny move around the tower and share a room when we all get our own."

Hermione was still trying to figure out a way around letting him sleep with Ginny on a permanent basis, "Gabby's room is open tonight, I'm sure she wouldn't mind..."

Harry shook his head and cut her off, "She'll be back tomorrow, and I'm not going to leave Ginny alone while she is sick. We'll figure this out tomorrow, right now I'm going to take a nice long bath and then go to bed."

He went back into his room and grabbed a change of clothes and then headed to the bath, ignoring the others. He wasn't brooding! He was contemplating.

******A/N: UHG! I don't know why this took so long for me to write. I had the first 6000 words done in a night right after posting chapter 13...and the rest of this chapter just refused to flow. So I finally forced myself to get through it.  
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******I don't know what it is that is holding me back on this story...anyone a big fan of Shuffle! And want to act as a sounding board for ideas? The story is mildly popular but my yahoo group isn't all that active and I don't know that I want to discuss whats next in the open and ruin the story for them with spoilers anyway. Send me a PM if you want to discuss/bounce ideas. Until my muse decides she likes this story again I'm afraid I'm going to look at my other two WIP fic's and see if they reignite my interest. This is supposed to be a hobby, not a chore, and I apologize for my long abscenses.**

**A million times sorry for leaving you all hanging. I think I need to write two or three chapters ahead like I did on SFTP just to make sure I know where its going and can post on a regular basis. Forgive me my transgressions**


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